Final Love
by Night With No Moon
Summary: Sequel to Young Love and New Love: Naruto's back, but so is Sasuke, what ever will Hinata do? And more importantly, who will she choose? Read and Review! SasuHinaNaru
1. Return

**Final Love, sequel to Young Love and New Love and the last story in the set, thanks for reading!

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**Final Love**

**Chapter one: Returning  
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I hit the post with a small, "Ha!" It was about noon and I was tired; I'd have to stop by the shops soon to get some food, both for myself and the manor-- we were getting low again. Wiping my forehead with the back of my hand, I panted lightly before kicking the post again.

Finally I stopped, breathing deeply a few times before wiping the sweat from my face and taking a drink. I cooled off for a few minutes, then grabbed my sweat shirt and headed for the village.

Today was nice and warm, which made it a little harder to cool off. As I was heading to the market, I spotted the hot springs and decided it wouldn't hurt.

As I paid and went to the changing rooms I told myself not to stay too long. There was shopping to be done after all. Then, after that mental note, I dove right into the amazing water.

It was nice and warm, but in a relaxing way. I sighed contentedly and grabbed a wash cloth, cleaning myself slowly to help the relaxing process.

After, I just sat there and soaked in the comfort. I leaned my head back wondering again, like every other day, if my Naruto-kun would be back soon. I missed his big dumb smile and I wanted him back.

If I was being honest with myself, I missed Sasuke too. It was stupid to, considering that he left everyone behind, especially me. My mind didn't work that way; I would always miss him, if only for his presence.

And, though I know Naruto didn't want to leave me behind, he did leave soon after. I promised him I'd train hard until he got back, and he promised he'd hurry back. This seemed like forever ago.

Every day since he left, I prayed time would pass faster so he could hold me again… A blush crept its way onto my face as I remembered what it felt like, when I fell asleep in his apartment. Again, it seemed like forever ago.

Then, remembering that the two and a half years was almost up, I knew Naruto could be back any day. That thought made me too giddy, and so I told myself it could be a few weeks yet.

A few weeks was close, though, and it still made me a little giddy. Deciding I'd been in too long, I stood and covered myself with a towel quickly.

Hurrying out from the springs I couldn't help but notice people lively gossiping around me, I knew something big was up, but I didn't have time to stop right now. I'd gotten really behind on time, so it wasn't until I was leaving the market, that I heard, "He's back, Naruto's back!"

My eyes widened and a blush spread across my face; Naruto was back? I had to find him; I had to find him _now_.

But…what if he's changed?

"Well of course he's changed," I whisper to myself, feeling silly. I wondered where he could be, and the more I thought of where to look, the faster my heart sped. By the time I decided to act, I was near hysterics.

I kept to the streets to keep from attracting attention, trying to keep to a fast-walk. As my heart pounded, more blood went to my face.

Finding myself to the side of town, I saw Kiba and Akamaru, leaning against the large tree that grew here. "Hinata!" he called, waving at me.

"H-hello," I said quietly, walking closer. "Have you seen Naruto-kun yet?" I had to ask, just in case.

"Nope," he grinned at me, petting Akamaru's head. "You'll see him eventually; don't worry about it." He and Shino, knowing me best, both picked up on my little crush… Though, it took Kiba much longer.

I looked at the ground and kept walking, looking back and waving lightly. "I'm going to keep looking. T-thanks anyway…" I walked to the corner, only a few paces out of sight when I heard him.

"Heyyy!" Naruto's loud voice called, probably to Kiba.

My heart sped up again, even when I thought it couldn't anymore. I took a deep breath pressing my self to the wall at the corner. "Naruto…" I breathed.

They had a small conversation and he forgot about Shino. I wanted to giggle, but a bit of fear flowed through me instead. What if he forgot me, too?

I heard him walking toward me, and when he turned the corner, he stopped.

He looked at me, and I blushed, and when he said "Hi" everything went black, but I heard him shout my name.

She passed out! I can't-- okay, well, maybe I should-- believe she passed out! I caught her by the shoulders and shook her lightly, hoping she'd come to. "Hinata!!"

"Come on, Hinata, wake up…"

Slowly her eyes started to open, and she looked at me and smiled.

"You scared me! Half to death!" I tell her.

"N-Naruto-kun," she said my name, blushing. I put my arms around her and hugged her to my chest.

"I missed you," I whispered.

"I missed you too…s-sorry I fainted," She smiles, tears in her eyes. "I'm so h-happy your back!"

I lean in and press my lips to hers. The absolute worst part of that training was missing her ever waking minute. I wish I could explain it to her in words, but for now this is the best way I can think of.

Her face was so close; I could feel the warmth of her cheeks-- they were scorching. Was it even possible for a person to blush so much? I pulled back to check her face and she seemed fine. Well, fine for Hinata.

I grinned at her and she jumped for me saying, "Y-you have no clue h-how much I missed that smile!" She hugged me so tight I thought I might break, and I knew she'd gotten a lot stronger, we both had.

Holding her back, my grin widened and I said, "I'll be smiling for you 'till my teeth fall out."

She squeaked a bit at this and I couldn't help but kiss her again, she was still cute as ever. "I love you, Hinata."

"I-I love y-you, t-too," she seemed to stutter a bit more and-- as if it were possible-- her blush seemed to darken.

"Eh-hem…" Kiba cleared his throat as he stood over us, Hinata was suddenly on her feet, hiding behind her hair. I noticed now that it was longer, and she was amazingly beautiful.

The bangs only covered her eyes when she looked at her feet-- looking at the ground, they still showed-- and the rest of her hair seemed to go passed her shoulder-blades. It fit her well, and I wondered how I managed to be so lucky.

I stood up too and wrapped an arm around her waist. "We have a mission," Kiba said, looking at where my hand was before looking to Hinata.

"O-oh," She sighed and reluctantly pulled away from me. "See you later Naruto-kun."

I have a feeling she didn't want to leave my side for days now that I was back, but she had to go right off on a mission. "I'll be waiting for you." I grinned.

She giggled lightly-- something she only did around me, by the look on Kiba's face-- and walked away, looking back every now and then as if I was going to disappear.

I'll be here, I promise. I told her silently. Then I headed into the village, there was a certain little stand that was calling me.

"So," Kiba started in a tone I knew didn't mean anything good. "When we get done with the mission, I guess I'll have to find you and Naruto a tree, huh?"

It took me a moment before I got it, but when I did, my eyes widened and I turned scarlet. "K-kiba-kun!"

"Leave her alone, Kiba." Shino said in that soft, dark, intimidating tone of his, scolding the Inuzuka boy. "Besides... I'm sure they have better sense than to use a tree."

I looked around for a rock to burrow under and hide myself from the world, "N-not you t-too, Shino!"

Kiba only grinned at him as if to say, "Nice one!" I found a small tree that may work instead of a rock…

Then, I thought of what Kiba had said about a tree. I decided to steer clear of trees, unless I wanted more of his jokes to come my way.

As I looked again for a giant rock, another voice called out and I thanked the heavens. Kurenai-sensei was here now, prompting us for the mission.

Though we were all chunin now, and Kurenai thought of us as equals, somehow none of us had dropped the 'sensei' from her name.

"Are you all ready to go?" She smiled brightly at us.

"Yes Kurenai-sensei!" We chorused.

Grabbing onto our packs with one hand, we leapt from the gate quickly, all following Sensei. I had my Byakugan activated as I often did during these sorts of missions; it didn't slow me down, or stop me as it did when I was younger.

I didn't see anything unusual for miles. I was really quite happy when Kurenai told us it was time for a break, even if I was worried the boys would tease me some more.

They began setting up camp and I was in a tree to gain better angle with my Byakugan; a few jokes were murmured as I set up a perch, but they were easy enough to ignore after a few light blushes. I saw something move in the distance, squinting my eyes to concentrate.

The chakra signal seemed vaguely familiar, but I couldn't place it. As I was opening my mouth to tell Kurenai that there was a shinobi not too far off, the figure in my sight turned and I knew who it was. My heart started racing the moment his name came to mind. Sasuke.

"Hinata?" Kurenai said my name curiously-- most likely at how my mouth was open, eyes wide. "What is it?"

"I…" Darn it! What do I tell her? 'Um, oh, it's just Sasuke about 50 yards that way,' right, no. "It's…n-nothing sensei…j-just an animal."

She smiled lightly and turned back to the fire she was making. I bit my lip, weighing the consequences. "Sensei? Would it b-be okay if I took a s-small walk?" I asked, still unsure.

"Uh…" She glanced swiftly at the sky line, "Sure, Hinata, just be back before the sun sets, if you're not I'll send Kiba after you. Be careful!"

I smiled my thanks and leapt from the tree, keeping my pace as calm as I could as I headed into the woods.

That deadline would be important, if I didn't want to get caught. And I didn't, so I had to keep the color of the lights in the forest, on my mind.

As soon as I was certain I was out of seeing distance of the others I broke into a silent run, stealing through the underbrush of the forest floor and around the ancient trees. My heart sped up as I drew closer, and closer, until I had to stop and hide behind a bush. He was there, right there in front of me.

He was taller, that much was certain; even crouching from a bush, I could tell. His hair was a bit longer and the outfit was…different. I blushed lightly at some of the muscles that escaped the sleeve of his shirt, committing the 'new Sasuke' to memory.

Suddenly, he turned ever so slightly in the way of my hiding place, his eyes boring through the leaves straight to me. "Show yourself." He ordered, and I noted his voice was deeper now as well as I held in a squeak.

I slowly made my way out of the bushes, both careful not to get caught on any branches, and careful not to lose any sight of him. His shirt was open in the front and I could feel my face getting hotter as I went to his face, taking in the slightly shocked expression.

"Hinata," Though I don't think he meant for it to happen, my name left his lips.

With my red cheeks and wide eyes I fully took in the-Sasuke-that-left and realized how different he was now. He practically radiated 'danger'.

"S-sasuke-kun," I bit my lip again, unable to feel the fear I should have felt as I stuttered his name.

Though now his face was hard again, composed in that stone like manner I remember his father had that first time I saw him, there was something in the expression he'd had when he saw me that told me, he was my Sasuke.

I wondered what I should say now, 'hi' didn't seem to quite fit right.

"What are you doing here?" he asked in a tone that resembled his expression. I imagined-- if this were anyone else-- there would be a slightly awkward edge to it…

"I…" I wondered if telling him I was on a mission was a bad thing, after all, he was now technically 'the enemy', wasn't he? "I-I'm on an a-assignment," I tried to sound stronger than I felt, because even though I'd gotten a lot stronger since he left, he'd done about three times what I had, maybe more.

"With who?" he asked, taking a step towards me.

"It doesn't matter." I said firmly and delighted to see a bit of shock play across his eyes.

He took another step; instinctively, I took one back. "It does," he stated in a tone that sparked a little fear.

Again he started toward me, and before I could take even one step more back, he was in front of me, so close, I didn't want to breath. "You've changed." He said softly, taking me in at close range.

"S-so have you," I stuttered quietly, looking at the ground.

I didn't realize my body was shaking until he put his hands on my shoulders to stop me. "Hinata, I won't hurt you."

"Won't you?" I snapped harshly, remembering just how many times he _had_ hurt me.

Instantly, I regretted saying anything at all; his jaw locked and a pained expression left as soon as it'd come. But before I could say or do anything, Sasuke's attention darted away. "You have to go."

**End Chapter One:**

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**Yoko here finally^^; i'm a bit lazy at posting, so Lucy's done it for me a lot. But now i'm back, and should be around more to tell you all how wonderful you are for reading and reviewing our stories and that i love writing. Anyway~ This is Final Love, the last chapter in the Young Love set Lucy and I have created, Enjoy!**


	2. Night After Night

"W-what?" I stuttered the question with slight hysteria. My eyes were wide as he embraced me, then pushed away.

"Go," he said. Before I could do anything, he darted away, leaving me dumbfounded. I looked around, trying to find him. As I looked, I noted the shadows around me. The sun had begun to set and I had to get back quickly, before they started looking for me.

Then, it was just me, racing to beat the shadows as they inched over the land. Silently I hoped Kurenai hadn't gotten overly worried, and-- like she'd promised-- sent one of the boys to find me.

I ran as fast as I could, panting lightly as I treaded through the forest. Had I really gone this far? As if to answer my question, I hit something. "O-ow!" It knocked me on my rump, and I could feel the ground soaking through my pants.

"Hey! There you are! What're you doing on the ground, Hinata? " Kiba's voice was laughing, even if he wasn't. Leave it to him to make a joke of me within seconds of being in the same space.

"N-nothing," I stuttered quietly, standing up and brushing myself off.

He looked me up and down. "Hehe, well we better get back. Kurenai-sensei was getting worried about you." He howl-barked at the sky, and only seconds later, Akamaru was with us. The big white dog licked my hand and I knew he'd been worried about me too.

I smiled at the large dog and pat his head lightly, giggling lightly as he moved his head into my hand. "Let's get b-back then," I looked back to Kiba.

He nodded, and we started back with him in the lead and Akamaru towing behind me. It only took a couple of minutes before we were back at camp. Kurenai-sensei greeted us with a relieved smile, and I noted that when she said "before sunset" she really meant, "_before_ sunset".

"Welcome back, Hinata," she said, pulling some blankets out of her pack. They were still setting up, I supposed; how long was I even gone?

My mind was so fuzzy on everything except Sasuke, whose image was freshly branded into the backs of my eyelids.

Of _course_ the day Naruto comes back, I see him on a mission. The world just wasn't fair enough to allow otherwise. I sighed, helping them set up the rest of the tents.

As I finally got to crawl into my sleeping bag next to Kurenai-sensei, I really started to think with a clear mind for the first time that night. Wondering why Sasuke was so close to Konoha, especially on the very same day Naruto returned…

With that thought, images spiraled through my mind at what he could be doing. I never really got to focus much, for I'd already fallen asleep.

- -

_I was in Konoha… It was dark, and the moon wasn't the only source of light anymore. Two shadows were clashing, sparks coming from the kunai in their hands as they jumped at one another._

_Gasping, I tried to get between them. They jumped again and went through me. My eyes were wide as they raced towards the Hokage tower, probably for an easier place to fight. I followed them eagerly, hoping in vein they would stop the fight._

_They began jumping at each other immediately and Sasuke switched to the katana he carried on his back; it began to glow as he glared at Naruto, who's chakra was now a boiling red. I saw them jump, but that was all I saw._

_In each other's former positions, Sasuke was on one knee, his other hand on the ground. Naruto was poised like an animal, with the tail to match… He looked like a demonic fox._

_Before I knew it, Sasuke fell to the ground. I ran to his side, knowing in the back of my mind it was no use. H-he was…_

- -

I awoke roughly, gasping as I felt cold sweat run down my cheek. _Just a dream…_ But even if I knew, what I saw was all too frightening.

When my eyes finally focused, I saw Kurenai's worried expression inches away from me face. "Hinata, are you alright?" She sounded…motherly.

It made me think of my own mother-- memories blurred by the sands of time-- but I shook my head to discard the memories. "I-I'm fine, S-sensei," I smiled half-heartedly.

"Was it a nightmare?" she asked, crossing her legs in front of her kind of like a child would, and I couldn't help but think it was-- for lack of a better word-- cute.

I nodded quickly, biting my lip. She didn't need to know how bad of a nightmare it was, or how frighteningly true it could turn out to be.

She sighed and smiled lightly, sensing the I-don't-wanna-talk-about-it air about us. The raven-haired woman skillfully jumped topics, "I couldn't sleep much anyway." She paused and poked the side of the tent, "Kiba snores to loudly."

We both laughed quietly, hearing a loud snore from beside us as if to punctuate her words.

Sometimes, Kurenai-sensei could be so young— not that she's overly old… But she acts like a teenager some days. It's refreshing. I suppose that's how the two of us wound up staying awake for a few more hours gossiping.

It was after those few hours the boys sent in Akamaru to say, "Good morning" as they often did. He nuzzled us both and wagged his tail, letting us know everyone else was up.

- - - -

I stood there for a moment, just far enough away so that I was sure she could no longer see me. Her hair was longer, she'd filled out in all the right places, and-- if at all possible-- she was more gorgeous than I could remember.

Sighing as she began to run away, I headed towards my team; they were coming up fast. I could feel it. Fleetingly, I was glad she ran like she did.

As I finally caught sight of them running toward me, I again cursed Orochimaru for insisting that I take a full team with me on these silly missions.

I landed on a thick tree branch, moving chakra to my feet as it held my position. They stopped on random branches of their own in front of me, bowing lightly. "Return to base?" the leader asked me, looking up from his bow.

"Yes, there's nothing new here." I told him sternly and waved them off as I glanced back.

Part of me wanted to go back to her, but I knew there weren't any reasons to; if I was to not go back, I would be caught, and a reason would be needed. Although I'm sure I could win the fight that would occur, it was unnecessary.

So, I followed my 'team' back to Orochimaru's hideout, only slightly distracted. _Only_ slightly.

- - - -

He didn't leave my mind. I jumped from tree to tree, biting my lip as I thought about reasons he could be so close. My mission was completed and we were headed back to the village.

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go back without finding out why he was near Konoha, or if I ever wanted to see him again, but I did know my feelings were very confused right this moment.

Maybe it would help if I saw Naruto again… I missed that goofy grin of his far too much; I knew it would cheer me up.

Again, I couldn't believe that they'd both shown up in my life on the same day again, just as suddenly as they'd left. However, I'd always trusted Naruto to return, but I'd resigned myself to never seeing Sasuke again.

A small sigh escaped my lips as I saw the gate. We landed together and Sensei turned towards us. "I'll turn in the mission; everyone go get some rest." She smiled lightly and disappeared, already on her way.

"I-I'll see you guys l-later," I told Kiba and Shino as I waved and instinctively headed for Ichiraku, it was about dinner time, and surely Naruto would be on his fourth bowl by now.

Just as I thought, there was orange in the distance. I stopped, took a deep breath, and moved to sit next to him, feeling my usual blush warm both cheeks.

He slurped up the last bit in the bowl that was pressed to his face, and as he clinked it down, he grinned at me, "You're home!"

Oh, how that grin sent butterflies to my stomach. "H-hey, N-Naruto," I greeted him, smiling shyly.

He leaned over on the stool, hugging me tightly while balancing on the one leg of the seat still touching ground.

My face got darker and darker and I felt my eyes begin to cloud. _No, no, not yet!_ I begged my mind to let me stay conscious just a little longer…

…And then I hit the ground, but I was still conscious, my loveable goof had gone sailing off his stool with me still in his arms. I started laughing, because he'd managed to get dirt all over his face and looked somewhat like a monkey.

His face turned into a pout and I covered my mouth to muffle the giggles. He let go of me and brushed himself off while I tried to control myself. I stood as well, getting what dirt I could off of my back; I was still smiling at him.

"Did I get it all?" he asked anxiously, embarrassed.

"Um…" I pulled my sleeve down over my fingers and wiped at his cheek without really thinking, and then when I realized my face flushed again. "T-there…"

"Thanks," he grinned at me again, closing his eyes; he always looked like a fox when he did that… I gasped lightly, remembering my dream.

My Naruto couldn't be like that though, could he? I swallowed hard, remembering the end.

"Hinata?" His grin disappeared, and the expression he wore became worried. "Hinata, what's wrong?"

"Oh…I g-guess, I'm just a b-bit tired from my m-mission…" I tried to cover up with something that wasn't entirely a lie. Lying to Naruto just didn't seem right, but it felt wrong to share my dream with him right now, too.

He seemed to examine my face and found something, because he said, "Guess you should be." His mouth turned back into a grin as he put an arm around my shoulder.

"How 'bout another bowl for Hinata-chan here, old man!" He called to the shop keeper, adding, "On me."

"Of course!" The shop keeper hollered back. Naruto pulled me over to the chairs and I sat down, avoiding his eyes; even after everything that happened between us, it was hard not to be shy around him.

As the man set my bowl in front of me and I watched the steam trail upwards, it felt like the last time Naruto and I had ramen together was so very long ago. It brought a smile to my lips to know he was really home, right next to me again.

While I ate, Naruto must have been getting hungry from the sight, because he ordered some for himself. He was done before I was-- he ate so fast!

He waited for me to finish my meal, and soon after we were headed to his apartment, hand in hand as we went.

"Home at last," he sighed, opening the door. We both took a few steps inside and looked around. "Geez," he muttered, wrinkling his nose. "It's so…dusty."

"S-sorry…" He was the one to stutter this time as he looked at me with a sheepish smile.

"Its fine," I smiled at him, knowing he wasn't exactly what you'd call a 'clean freak'. Besides that, a little dust never killed anyone…

He sneezed as I finished that thought. Of course.

"Are you o-okay?" I asked anxiously, keeping a safe distance, but enough to look at him close up.

"F-f-fine…" He sniffled, holding his nose as tried to hold in another sneeze.

I smiled again, leaving the room to find some tissues. _What had he been doing to get sick again? Or maybe he was just allergic to the dust all over his house_, I thought as I heard him sneeze yet again.

"I hate dust!" he yelled, most likely at some dusty surface in the other room. I giggled softly, because he could act like such a child sometimes.

Going back to the main room, I handed him the tissues and went to get some washcloths to get the dust off at least one piece of furniture.

So I started to wash everything from the entry way in as he blew his nose in the small kitchen. A few minutes later, I noticed he'd grabbed up a cloth of his own and was washing things beside me.

"Sorry," He mumbled to me as we scrubbed, "I didn't mean for you end up cleaning everything when you were so tired…" He sounded so guilty, in a kind of adorable way.

"It's f-fine," I smiled at him, continuing to clean. By the end of the day, his apartment was nearly spotless. I stood up, wiping my forehead with the back of my hand and sighed.

"We did good, huh?" He laughed.

"Uh-huh," I agreed.

The hard work felt good, even if my knees and back ached, it was a good tired. Falling back into Naruto's arms on the couch may have helped a lot too, though.

He held me to his chest, and the situation felt vaguely familiar. It felt…right. I closed my eyes as he pressed what I assumed to be his lips to the top of my head, falling asleep.

It was most likely the best sleep I'd had in such a long time. It just felt so right and perfect, even the old lumpy couch couldn't make it bad.

Before I was entirely gone, I heard Naruto start to snore. An unconscious smile crept its way onto my face, and I was out.

- - - -

As I lay there hating my uncomfortable bed, I wondered for about the millionth time about Hinata.

I'd already spent hours reflecting upon her now-memorized appearance, marveling at how time had changed her in the best ways. Did she change that much? I could already tell by our most recent meeting that she hadn't forgotten about me, and she was still having troubles with controlling her blush.

But the one thing I was curious about most-- though it's doubtful I would ever admit it-- was if she'd found anyone else. If that idiot had screwed up a chance with the most perfect being on the face of-- _No._ I told myself I wouldn't start again. My choice was made, and this was the path I chose; the path I was destined to walk.

Somehow, though, I knew that my mind-- or was it my heart (rather, what was left of it)-- kept going back to her.

I'd managed for so long without seeing her, without thinking about her, and finally, when I'd almost completely buried the memory, she was right there. Right in front or me, beautiful and strong and exactly how I remembered her, yet different.

Turning over onto my stomach, I dropped my face into the pillow. Maybe if I was lucky, it would knock me unconscious. Maybe if I was lucky, I wouldn't dream of her… Maybe if I was lucky, Itachi could kill himself and I could go back to Konoha. Maybe if I was lucky, she would take me back with open arms and a crimson blush.

But I wasn't a lucky person.

- - - -

My bed didn't feel right after the perfect night in Naruto's arms, but I was already in a bit of trouble for not being home after my mission so I had to stay home tonight. There were things to be done in the morning and of course if I wasn't the one to do them father would probably be very, very angry. Neji covered for me last night but I couldn't ask him to do that often, I really couldn't.

I finished brushing my hair back into a soft and loose pony tail before sliding into the bed. On the stand my old diary lay, just waiting for me to take it up again. Honestly I don't know why I ever pulled it out, but…

As I reached for it, and flipped open the cover, the pressed violet fell gently into my palm and I wondered where he was right now. Sasuke…

I stared at the flat piece of my past in my hand, thinking about him. Now that I was alone, I could.

There were so many questions I wished I'd asked him, but I also wish I'd slapped him so hard his ears would still be ringing. I shook my head as the thoughts made my eyes water. I didn't want to be mad at him, I didn't want to love him, I didn't…know what I wanted to do with him anymore.

But I supposed it didn't matter, either; he was gone again, and I would probably never see him again. I could feel the tears fall numbly from my eyes as I tried to wipe them all away with my sleeve, putting away the flower, so I wouldn't lose or crush it.

Maybe I should have thrown it away long ago, but I couldn't, wouldn't, and didn't want to, ever. So I set the book back on my night stand, and turned over to try and get some sleep.

- - - -  
**Author's Note:**

Hey, it's Lucy here! Two chapters done in what, one or two weeks? I'll be you avid readers are pretty pleased with us, huh? ;3

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the story-- thanks for reading!


	3. The Dreams

_It was dark. Mostly, anyway-- a bright circle of light surrounded my childhood friends, Naruto and Sasuke. They were crouched in a battle stance as the light turned separate colors, blue on Sasuke's side and red on Naruto's._

_The colors began to merge as the two began to change. Naruto was surrounded by a bubbling red aura that was beginning to resemble an animal; his eyes held a vicious anger as his pupils slit like an animal's, as well._

_Meanwhile, Sasuke's hair was getting longer, and just as some strange design covered his skin, it turned color, hand-like wings sprouting from his back. His eyes had turned black, showing his Sharingan in an intimidating fashion._

_I felt a fleeting moment of déjà vu, though this time, I could make no attempt to stop them._

_The light became a dark purple now, and I'd wish it turned black as I saw them both begin their attacks. Sounds of chirping birds in the wind echoed through the empty space and they lunged at each other, hands aiming for the chest._

_A scream followed, and I wasn't quite sure from where._

_My mind was distracted for a second, and that was all it took. I paid attention to the matter at hand, the two with their backs facing one another. The picture was shaking now, and blurring._

_I could only watch in horror, waiting for the result of their fight. Examining all of what I could see from them-- which wasn't very much-- they looked okay…_

_And then Naruto fell._

- - - -

I woke in a cold sweat, panting lightly from the nightmare. How many of these would I have?

Sitting up, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and pulled back my hair. I wasn't sure how much I wanted to know the answer to that.

- - - -

The sun was already high in the sky, and it cast a lovely warm air about the whole town and brought out the people early. Even if my dream clung to me, no one else knew about it; they were all so happy. It wasn't long until people I knew were waving to me and smiling.

I found it hard not to suddenly feel lighter, happier. It was just that sort of day.

Since I'd been interrupted by the sudden news last time, I had shopping to do. I kept my pace slow and steady, not anxious to get back home. It'd taken about an hour to get what I needed, and I decided to take a stroll. Wasting a day like this would be a crime.

At one point in the day, the sun was right in front of me. Deciding to look at the ground now, I found it harder to avoid my natural clumsiness. A few paces before, I'd almost knocked someone over, so I tilted my head up just in time to get hit by an orange blur.

"Morning," He grabbed my arm, smiling, quickly balanced me as he pulled me back toward him, the blush in my cheeks beginning to spread.

"N-naruto!" I gasped and tried to pull away; though I was glad my nightmarish fear had been conquered by seeing him; I didn't want to pass out. Not now, not yet!

I tried to calm my racing heart before I looked up to his grinning face again, but I had to, just…to make sure.

He said something; I saw his mouth move. Oh, no, what did he say?! I shook my head quickly and backed up a little. "W-what?"

Naruto laughed softly, "I said, need any help?" I watched his eyes trail down to the bags I was carrying. I'd completely forgotten about them.

"O-oh!" He started to reach for it, but I waved a hand in front of my face, feeling it heat up again, though whether the reason was Naruto himself or the sun ahead of me, I was unsure. "D-don't worry about it; I-I can carry it…"

That resulted in him shaking his head and taking the bags from me, "I'll help." He smiled insistently, and I couldn't deny him. He was cute when he wanted to be helpful, I decided.

His hand touched mine fleetingly as I surrendered, handing him the groceries. "There," he said as he slung them over his shoulder carefully. "Now was that so hard?"

- -

Discretely, I peeked around to see if any of the family members were around as I brought Naruto home. I could just hear what father would say if he saw him here, with me.

"C-come on," I led him to the kitchen, feeling a little guilty for letting him carry the groceries all the way here.

Thankfully, the room was empty, and he helped me put everything away. We'd gotten a small system going, where he handed me an item and I shelved it. I couldn't help blushing every time our hands brushed as he passed me something.

I must've looked like one of the tomatoes. We finished up, and I heard footsteps coming from another room. I gasped in surprise, trying to think quickly of a place to hide him.

I took Naruto by the hand as the steps grew closer, louder, and we ran out of the room together.

"W-what?" he stuttered, trying to keep pace with me while sorting out the confusion. I simply kept on as we finally got to my room. Closing the door as fast and silently as I could, I panted, stared at the ground, and ignored the fact Naruto and I had been holding hands.

When he tried to ask again, I put my finger to my lips, effectively hushing him for that moment. I tried to listen for any sounds in the hall but right then, I couldn't hear any.

I felt him grin under my finger and, looking back to him, he kissed my finger. The heat all rushed into my face at one time, and I pulled my hand away just as fast, hugging both arms to my chest and trying to get by him quickly.

I couldn't believe he did that. I shook my head, silently trying to shake the blush from my cheeks. As I spun around, still embarrassed I felt myself begin to fall.

He must have been coming up behind me, because I hit him and lost balance. His arms flailed slightly and knocked over the pitcher of water I kept on a small table by my bed. We landed, and it crashed next to us loudly.

I closed my eyes tightly as we were sprayed with water. Actually I didn't even notice that I'd grabbed his shirtfront tightly in both hands, or that he'd fallen on top of me at first. The water dripping on us was all I felt right away, until I opened my eyes. I looked up in horror as I saw my door opening slowly over Naruto's shoulder.

- - - -

"You're wanted in the main room," one of the idiots told me, hiding behind the door. "Orochimaru-sama would like to speak to you about the mission." Wasn't he one of the two who were supposed to do that? Useless rat.

I sighed as I stood, not really in a great mood to go see Orochimaru. When I entered the hall, I saw the man that was just at my door high-tail it around the corner after a quick glance behind him.

At least he had some sense of self-preservation. Sighing again, I made my way to the main room and opened one of the large doors. I didn't see what the point of them were; he didn't experiment on giants.

Like every other god-forsaken room in the underground hideout, the only sources of light were a few meager, flickering candles. The room was sparse, the only thing in it being Orochimaru's self-proclaimed throne, at the center.

"Welcome, Sasuke," he said, his eyes shining in the limited light. The way he said my name-- drawing it out with his snake-like voice-- made my stomach turn.

"Hn," I mumbled in answer. Avoiding looking at him, I glanced around the room again. After a long pause, I was sick of his dragging this out. "What did you want?"

"I was"-- another sickening lisp-- "hoping you'd tell me about your mission." He sat up straight, his hands on the arms of the "throne"; I imagine he did this to look kingly, or superior.

"Why for?" I ask, suddenly taking an interest. Nothing happened. Everything went as planned, aside from seeing Hinata.

He frowned a little as he looked me in the eye. "One of the men said you were late getting back," he tried to sound casual with it, but the look in his eyes told me he was suspicious of me.

"What exactly was it that kept you?" He hisses. The Sannin leans forward in his seat, his eyes locked onto my every move.

I thought for a moment, honestly unsure of what to say. "I saw a Hyuuga on my way back. Female." He would probably react badly if I didn't say, "She didn't see me."

"Ahh." A wicked grin spread across his lips as he sat back. I could see his mind working; I knew that he wanted her instantly. It was the exact same look he'd had back during the Chunin exams in the Forest of Death.

Deciding it best to pretend, I asked, "What is it?" As long as he didn't want to do some stupid test, having her here might not be that bad…

"This presents quite an interesting situation-- a Hyuuga girl so close to us." Orochimaru waved a hand at me. "I'll call you back when I've decided what action should be taken. For now, you may leave."

I turned to leave, closing the door behind me with a loud noise as it slammed shut. The sound echoed throughout the hallway; he was very dramatic when it came to hideouts.

Silently, I wonder what kind of plan the snake will come up with in that twisted mind of his. Of course, it only dawns on me now that Hinata could be in danger. Her byakugan is nearly as impressive as the sharingan. Surely, that's why it caught Orochimaru's attention so fully.

My mind skipped to something for a second as I made my way back to my room-- what if he wanted to combine the two? I felt a little blood in my face and walked faster, trying to erase the images.

- - - -

**Authors' Note:**

So after finishing chapter four, I looked at the story itself and saw that we hadn't even posted chapter three! We are both so sorry about this. The reason as to why we didn't even notice it is in the next chapter I'll be posting for you. Again, we're very sorry, and I hope the two chapters make up for all the time that has passed.


	4. Accidentally on Purpose

I wanted to close my eyes as a figure started to show the more the door slid open, but I knew I had to be prepared in case it was Father… Brown hair was the first thing I saw-- swirling in with the open porch, no doubt in the perfect direction just to make fun of the situation. Narrator finally realized that I was looking at something, and he turned as well.

"Hinata." I sighed with relief when I heard my cousin's voice rather than Father's. Neji opened the door fully, and gaped wide-eyed at the compromising situation he had just caught us in. "What's going on in here?" He asked, his face now painted with a stern expression.

"I-I can explain!" Heavy footsteps in the hall meant it really was Father this time-- I pushed against Naruto's chest, but Neji was the one to rip him off of me.

I watched in shock as Neji proceeded to tell Naruto to shut up, as he shoved him under then bed. After he was safely hidden away, Neji helped me to my feet just in time for my father to come to the doorway.

The door slammed open, the look on Father's face just as frightening as ever. "Hinata." My back straightened, but I kept my eyes on his feet. "Why is there water everywhere?"

I glanced at Neji, detecting a slight dip of his head when my Father entered the room. "Uh…I-it's nothing Father… I-I knocked over a v-vase, t-that's all," I manage to say. Thankfully, it wasn't a complete lie. Though I wasn't sure if he was satisfied with that or not, as he took another step into my room.

He seemed to be looking for something. I didn't turn as he walked beside the bed, though I did hear a slight crunching noise with that second step…

I cringed when I realized that my Father had just stepped on my boyfriend. I prayed Naruto wouldn't make any noise, mentally crossing my fingers.

The urge to look back at him was almost overwhelming. No doubt, he would be hollering about that once Father was out of the room. We would have to keep his mouth shut until he was off the property.

After he nodded to himself, Father turned to me and said, "Hurry and clean this mess up, Hinata." His voice stern as he looked from me to Neji, before leaving the room.

Door closed behind him, I let out a huge sigh, slumping as the air left me. "H-he's gone…"

Naruto wriggled out from under then bed, biting the sleeve of his shirt and flexing his right hand, which bared the indentation of a shoe print on it.

"I'm s-sorry…" I turned to Naruto and bowed my head, blushing dark red.

Still cringing, Naruto hissed out, "It's fine…Really." He added, seeing the look on my face.

"O-okay…"

I stared at his hand until Neji coughed uncomfortably. "You have to leave."

"What? Why?" Naruto demanded, getting on his feet.

His face radiated patient annoyance. "Because it is inappropriate for you to be in Lady Hinata's room, alone or otherwise. And Hiashi-sama is not very fond of you to begin with."

"So?" Naruto stood there with a defiant smirk on his face. I could see the pending fight about to break out in my bedroom as both their eyes lit up. Stupid testosterone.

I sighed again. "Let's just go…" I would have to clean up the vase when I got back.

As I pulled him with me from the room, I could hear Neji sigh. He would probably end up covering for me again.

Though how he would explain why I left through my window would be beyond me… I looked back once before being completely out, a sad smile on my face just for him. I owed him so much-- maybe he'll take all of that and become the new heir with it someday. At this rate, that may not be too far fetched.

Once we were far enough away from the house, Naruto was complaining loudly about being stepped on. I asked if he wanted me to look at his hand, but I'm not sure that he heard me, being that he was still ranting.

The further we were, the louder he became. I couldn't help but smile-- he hadn't changed a bit.

- - - -

He thought it would be worth dropping by to the hospital to get it checked out. Of course, I complied, and of course, we were sent to Sakura's room. He did not know she had her own room, so I will be watching him closely-- and try to keep her from hitting him.

After a short wait, she walked in to the room, sighing when she saw the pout on his face. "What did you do now, Naruto?" Sakura smirked.

"Her dad stepped on my hand…" He motioned with his head towards me, and I looked down at my hands, embarrassed that something could be said of my own family, even if it was an accident.

Sakura let out a small laugh, coming over to examine his hand. "So how'd you manage that?"

"I was hiding under her bed," he grins as she casts an interested glance toward me, making my cheeks light up again.

She poked at where the indents from Father's shoes were, looking amused when he winced. "I'm sure you'll have to tell me over dinner sometime, Hinata, won't you?" Her eyes shot to me with an expression that told me there were no other options.

I laughed a nervous laugh and nodded. She went on examining his hand, before she began healing it.

"This is nothing to waist my time over, you know, Naruto." We could both tell from her tone that, outside of these walls, she would have knocked him over the head for even considering bothering her with this.

"Yeah, yeah, well I wanted to come see you." He smiled at her and I watched her fist clench and twitch at her side as Sakura resisted hitting him, then and there.

Part of me felt bad to hear him say this in front of me, but it is Naruto, after all… "Saying such things in front of Hinata… You really are stupid!"

He shrugged and laughed it off. "You're right, you're right."

"I-it's okay, Sakura…" I looked up enough to smile at her lightly.

The med-nin only sighed in response, willing to let it go if I was. Needless to say, she had Naruto fixed up in no time and we were ready to be on our way.

"H-how about some ramen?"

"That sounds great!" But it wasn't from Naruto. It came from behind me-- as I turned, I saw my team, looking hungry.

Kiba walked over and put his arm around me, "What do you say, huh, your treat, Hinata?" He smiled.

"It's not polite to make a lady pay for a meal, Kiba," I heard Shino's monotone speak through the collar of his coat. "How about it be on you this time?" Without waiting for any objections, he started walking towards the ramen stand.

Kiba ran after him shouting something about him paying instead. Naruto and I laughed as we followed after them. Catching up with them at the stand, we took our seats and ordered our ramen.

"Miso, old man!" Naruto shouted before he'd even sat down. I couldn't help but laugh when the old man simply nodded and set to work on the order.

We waited until the food was done to speak, naturally. Kiba, with a few noodles hanging from his mouth, asked, "So, Naruto, how did the training go? See any babes?"

I swear my eye twitched at that question, but Naruto just shrugged it off. A much more mature thing than I would have expected from him. He simply went on to tell about his training with Jiraiya.

With the stories he told, I swear I saw Shino show an expression. Kiba's mouth was a mix between a grin, and a dropped jaw. Only he could manage it without breaking his face, I'd bet. I was amazed at how much he'd gone through-- and he was still my Naruto…

I smiled warmly at him, and when he caught me watching he asked, "What, what is it?"

"N-nothing…" I couldn't stop smiling. I loved him so much.

Kiba snickered. "She's so digging on you, dude."

My face went completely red and I had to turn away, I was so embarrassed. I wanted to yell at him, but I was too busy trying to calm down, hoping my face would go back to a normal shade.

"Kiba." I peeked a little to see his back straighten-- he knew he was in trouble. "Say such things when you're alone, not in front of her."

Naruto nodded. "Even I'm not that stupid," he said, slurping up more ramen.

"Ouch," Kiba said, pretending to flinch. "That one stung a bit."

Finally, I could return to the conversation, hoping my face wasn't too red from earlier. Shino had helped to move the talk away from me, thankfully.

"D-don't be so rude, Kiba…" I was glad I could speak again.

He grinned wolfishly. "Look, the tomato can talk!" Never mind…

"Kiba, stop it. Her face will never go back to normal." Naruto smiled at me.

It wasn't the best thing to say, but he stood up for me, and that was good enough. "T-thanks…"

He put his arm around me protectively, and the blush spread again, Kiba and even Shino laughed at me. I leaned into Naruto for support.

Maybe I would pass out; maybe I could enjoy this from start to finish. Maybe my face would one-day return to normal. Maybe something other than the first could actually be an option for me.

That something was not coming that night, however. I already felt light headed, and it wasn't much longer after that, that I was out cold in his arms. But even still, I could feel them around me, keeping me safe.

- - - -

I could still feel his arms around me long after he had gone. Thoughts of him walking me home swirled in my mind, and some of the more memorable moments were highlighted, making me blush. I felt so light-hearted and happy.

After I'd passed out, the team had left, and he carried me up a hill, under a tree, and onto his chest. I woke up slowly, but the second I saw his face, my own turned red-- in a corner of my mind, I wondered if he ever got tired of how often I blushed.

That thought was quickly pushed away when the first thing that he said was, "You're gorgeous when you blush," and then he had smiled his wonderful smile at me, deepening the blush on my cheeks.

I hid my face in his stomach, where I thought his jacket would be. With some movement, I found that he'd taken it off to cover me. I got a bit more comfortable, picking it up over my shoulders as he wrapped his arms tighter around me.

"S-sorry I fainted," I mumble into his chest.

"It's okay; you're cute when you do that, too." He laughed and kissed my forehead.

I curled up even more, hiding my face with my hands now. "T-thanks, I g-guess…"

His hands gently cupped my face, raising it to his, before he kissed me.

Just remembering it made my head spin round. I headed to my room, where I expected to find glass shards everywhere-- did Neji… Oh, no…

Quietly, I slipped out of my room and headed down the hall toward Neji's. I wondered if I'd gotten him in trouble again, sneaking off like I did.

I hoped not. Knocking on the doorframe, I heard him say, "Come in."

He sat at his desk, turning away from his open scroll when I entered the room. His face seemed to light up a bit, probably happy that I was home.

"I-I'm s-sorry about the v-vase…" I rubbed my elbow a little as I watched my feet, feeling like a child.

He shakes his head, "It wasn't a problem, Hinata." Suddenly, his face clouded, the smile having left his face. I could tell that he wanted to say something, but wasn't sure how to say just right.

"A-are you sure?" Was he mad at me? He would have good reason to be, but…

It wasn't like him to be mad at me, not anymore. I tried not to fidget as I waited for him to speak.

He sighed. "I have a question for you, Lady Hinata… And I want you to be honest with me…" This was not a very comforting start…

I looked up, catching his eye. All I could manage at the time was a nod, and it apparently had been enough for him to continue.

"Why was Naruto here today?" I felt my face getting warm-- it was an innocent enough reason, but why was I so embarrassed about it?

"H-he was helping me w-with the s-shopping t-today…" Being nervous did not help my case. I could only imagine what he was thinking of me right now. Would he tell Father, though? Or worse yet-- tell Father his own story? Would Father believe him?

"With the shopping you say?" He gave me a knowing look. I could see him studying my face, and it only served in making me more nervous.

"Y-yes… I s-saw him in t-town, and he carried t-the bags for me…" I looked at my hands, unable to look him in the eyes.

Neji rose from his seat and walked toward me, his eyes never leaving my face. "Hinata," He stopped just in front of me, and for some reason I could tell this was going to be the worst part.

"Are you…" He stopped mid-sentence and I was prepared for the worst. "Pregnant?" Or so I thought.

I could feel my face burn as I turned red, "O-of course not! W-why w-would you think t-that?"

He seemed a bit embarrassed as well now, looking away. "It's just a bit…odd…that the two of you would be alone together… almost right after he returned…is all…"

"We…we're only dating! I-I couldn't b-be pregnant," I said, still blushing.

"Just be careful, Hinata…" He sounded like a father, more than he did a cousin. "He may not seem like the type now, but men will surprise you sometimes…"

All I could do was nod. I was still in shock. Naruto wasn't like that, was he?

I knew he made certain…"jutsu", but he wasn't like that with real girls… He didn't seem to be… But wasn't that the point of a warning? I just hoped that Neji was wrong…

- - - -

**Authors' Note:**

For anyone who still reads this story, we are _so_ sorry. Yoko had a lot of school, and we both finally got some breaks to take time for writing. We both hope it was worth the wait, and hopefully, we'll finish it before 2011!

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed in that time, and we appreciate your patience.


	5. Slithering Mess

It was about the seventeenth time I'd crossed the small space in my room. Orochimaru's words ringing in my head. I couldn't stop worrying about Hinata now. If he was serious about having her, it would only be a matter of time.

_Hyuuga girl…_ I didn't like how he talked about her-- like an item to be had. A dispensable toy. She had a name-- but I couldn't say that to him without having to explain something I didn't even want to think about.

It kept nagging at me, what his plans were. With his strong interest in family bloodlines, I was sure that he'd thought about the Hyuuga's many times.

I just hoped that he wouldn't think about putting them…together… My face was slightly heated again-- it wasn't like I would mind, but she might if she was back with that bright orange idiot. If she was, she'd be right to-- even though I know, she could do much better.

At least he'd managed to make her happy, though. Even I couldn't do that. That was the one thought that always would bug me. She was happier with him. Still, she could do better. I was trying to convince myself, more than anything.

But also, more than anything, I wanted her to be with me. If I had more than a reason than that to steal her away, I would do it in a second's notice, and I would do all I can to make her happy. But could I?

It was all driving me crazy. I couldn't take the pacing anymore; I left my room and heading back down the hall toward Orochimaru's room.

The door was cracked open, and I could hear him talking to one of the snake summons he sends on missions with me some days. As stupid as it was, I started to listen in. It wasn't something he would appreciate if he caught me, but I had to know what he was planning…

I can make out his voice behind the door, but I can't understand what he's saying. Carefully, I lean closer to the door. Closer…

"Sasuke, why don't you step inside?" I'll never admit how much that scared me; although I guess, it's to be expected.

I slowly opened the door as I made my way into his room. "Yes, sir?" I wasn't sure what to expect.

"You realize," His eyes shift in my direction. "Eavesdropping is quite rude." It sent chills down my back.

Nodding, I tried to make it seem as though I was scratching my head as my hand reached for the katana on my back. He could attack me at the rate this was going.

He chuckles, "There's no need for that, come," He waves me over to him, and it's a moment before I can relax my arm and pull it away.

I took another few steps into his room as the snake he was talking to slides up onto his shoulder. He pet it slowly, licking his lips. "I've decided what to do about the Hyuuga girl."

I tensed again, "Sir?" I tried to seem indifferent. I watched his eyes flicker and knew he could see through me.

"You're going to capture her." His lips twisted into an evil smirk that sent unstoppable chills down my spine. "And you will hear more after she is in my grasp. My little friend here will be the only company you have, to make sure you do as you're told."

I gritted my teeth together as I nodded. This was bad. Very bad.

"You will leave in the morning, and I expect her back within the week." The snake slithered into his hand as he raised his hand to my shoulder. I cringed again inwardly as it hissed into my ear.

"Yes, Sir." I backed away with the slightest of bows and left the room. The morning, a week, what was I going to do? Would I have to kidnap her, or could I convince her to come with me without being so drastic.

I could attempt to reason with her… But there was no way-- if she really was with Naruto again-- that I could use her feelings for me to my advantage. Though judging by the way she reacted when I saw her… Who can tell what would happen?

- - - -

There was no sleep, just a lot of tossing and turning and thinking before I had to get up and pack. It would take about a day to reach Konoha; after that, it was anyone's guess how long anything would take. I shoved a clean shirt into my pack, and a few other necessary things.

The snake found it appropriate to curl itself around my wrist and sleep-- stupid animal. All it had to do was baby-sit me and sleep.

I would have loved to kill it and leave it for dead somewhere, but Orochimaru wouldn't like that at all.

As I jumped from tree to tree, I smirked and imagined killing it in many different ways before it started to tighten around my wrist. Maybe it didn't like the look I was giving it.

I stopped my fantasizing and focused on my mission, and tried to figure out the best possible way to get Hinata. I still wasn't fond of the kidnapping idea, but if it came to that, I had to be prepared.

She did want to come with me before I left, and now is her chance, so maybe… No, that's not realistic. This was a mission now, and I had to wait for my emotions-- they would be no use on this trip. I could feel for her all I wanted when we got back.

Besides, it was altogether possible that she no longer wanted anything to do with me, if she was happy with Naruto. Why would she want to take another chance on me?

Either way, it didn't matter if she wanted me or not. I had to get her to Orochimaru and hope he didn't want to experiment on her.

I had to push that thought away as well. It bothered me far too much to think about it.

After a long day of jumping, I wasn't very far from Konoha. I set up camp and considered what I would do to get to her, and when I would do it. Should I wait for night? Or during the day?

If I was going to talk to her, try and convince her to come with me, the early evening would probably be best. There wouldn't be many people around then.

I detailed my decision as I jumped around in a circle, setting chakra censors for while I was sleeping. Tomorrow would be very interesting.

- - - -

After a dreamless sleep, I woke up and took my time putting everything away. The snake wrapped itself around my wrist like the day before, falling asleep again as I headed towards Konoha. I tried to enjoy the view as I slowed down a bit to avoid having to wait for the evening when I got there.

First, I had to find her, and wait for the best possible moment to approach her. I was hoping she wouldn't get scared and yell or something that would cause an unnecessary problem. I hoped it would all go as smooth as possible.

Though kidnapping an heiress was bound to cause something unnecessary, I knew that much. If I could only get out with her before anything was known, it wouldn't be trouble for me.

I had to be very careful of her father of course, and Neji… And if Naruto found out, that wouldn't be any better. It was certainly best to get her alone and convince her to come with me.

But what to do if she wouldn't come? A small distraction may do me some good. Tossing a small led ball could work-- if she denied me, I would need to knock her out and just carry her. It felt like I became a transportation service overnight.

Would it be easier to use a jutsu though? There'd be less chance of hurting her if I could just trap her in a strong genjutsu.

Decisions, decisions.

The sky was beginning to darken, and I quickened my pace, almost there now. Masking my chakra, I made my way to a weak point in the wall surrounding the city.

The guards couldn't see me at all from the position and it was easy enough to sneak into my old village. In only a matter of minutes, I'd located Hinata's chakra signature.

She was at home-- that was good. I stayed fast and quiet, landing on one of the training posts outside of her room. I landed so she wouldn't be able to see me, waiting to sense any other signatures.

There wasn't anyone else in that part of the house. Good. That would make things much easier. I could see her shadow moving around in the room.

I could see into her room-- her silhouette… I could see her taking off her jacket, probably getting ready to change out of everything…

A faint blush settled over my cheeks. I wasn't going to watch her change; I looked away. Though, I couldn't help myself really, as I cast my gaze back to her window.

If she took off more than that, I wouldn't be able to stand taking her anywhere-- it had to be now. Jumping onto the railing, I opened the door to her room while her back was turned. Her hands were at the rim of her shirt as my hands stopped them from moving.

I couldn't describe the look on her face if I wanted to. "S-Sasuke?" My name on her lips, as her face turned a bright red color.

- - - -

He was here. In my room. At night… While I was undressing… I stuttered his name as my face felt ready to explode, "S-Sasuke?" What was he doing here?

My heart was racing; this was too much. I'd only just gotten my Naruto back, and now I'd seen Sasuke-- who'd been missing for years, Sasuke-- twice in less than a week.

Why did this have to happen all at once? "Hinata…" The way he said my name…it made me feel as if he'd never left.

But he had. I had to remember that. Remember that I had Naruto now, and he was everything I'd ever wanted. He was.

"W-why are you h-here?" His hands held my own tightly, keeping them to my hips… It was only then that I remembered-- I did not have a jacket on, and my shirt was… If only he came in before!

He took a small step closer to me, looking down as if he were a raven searching for prey. "Come with me, Hinata…" This wasn't happening.

"W-what?" I couldn't catch my breath. "N-no…I can't!" I had Naruto; I wouldn't leave him now, after waiting so long.

His hands pulled at mine as an arm went around my waist, the other keeping hold of my hand. With a gasp from me, his lips were on mine as I felt something slithering onto my hand. I tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let go.

Just as I was able to free one of my hands and was preparing to slap him across the face, I felt a terrible pain on the opposite wrist and my vision went blurry.

Breaking the kiss, he leaned back to put his lips close to my ear. "You don't have a choice."

I felt dizzy and brought a hand up to my head as the room began to spin. "B-but…" I didn't get to finish that thought.

- - - -

I wasn't entirely sure of what the snake did, but she was still alive. I picked her up awkwardly and set her on the bed, grabbing a pack and some of her clothes. Opening the drawer, I closed it a second later and decided it best to just buy her some from the closest town.

I sensed someone coming and decided it was best to leave then. I picked her up again, carefully, and exited the same way I'd entered.

She was pretty light, considering. I grabbed the extra blanket I packed and tossed it around her before jumping from building to building again to leave the village. The snake made its way from her wrist to mine as I gave it a quick glance, noting its almost pleased expression. At least it was good for something.

Once I was clear of the village, I continued on my way in case anyone noticed and sent out search parties for her. The farther away, the better, as far as I was concerned.

I kept on until it got dark enough to set up camp, summoning a clone to set the chakra markers this time. It wasn't as if I had another being to watch her for me. I sat her next to a tree as I set the tent-- just to be fair to her, I would have to give up any comfort tonight.

After a while, I began to wonder how long the effects would last. It'd been hours since she'd been bitten.

Just in case, though, I would have to seal the tent. I rolled out a few blankets for her to sleep on and set her on top of them, trying not to stare at anything I shouldn't. The tent was easy enough, and I leaned back against a tree to prepare for my own sleep, happy to have worn an undershirt with no tent to sleep in.

I could hear her light breathing; it was a strange comfort as I closed my eyes.

Hours later, I felt one of the chakra censors go off. I jumped up quickly and noted the open tent, lacking but one Hyuuga heiress. I left a clone by the tent and rushed off in her direction, cursing up a storm.

It was dark. The clouds covered the moon as I chased after her. She wasn't making it overly difficult to do. Her trail was easy to follow, and I could sense her not too far ahead now.

Did she want to be caught? She was acting like it. I could almost see her now-- she seems to have abandoned the blanket.

I could see her now, running just a head. She paused a moment, deciding which direction to take before running off in that direction.

Sending more chakra to my legs, I jumped with all my might and right into her, knocking us both to the ground.

I pinned her to the ground, making sure she couldn't fight me off. She struggled hard, but I had size on her. "Stop that." I told her.

- - - -

I woke up with a start-- what happened? It was almost sunrise, and I was in…a tent? What happened last night? Sasuke… He was in my room… He said I didn't have a choice…where was I, and what was he planning to do, exactly?

I crawled to the door of the tent, and carefully unzipped it. I could see him leaning by a tree. He was asleep. We were in the woods, and it was still rather dark. If I was quiet, I'd be able to get away.

The tent was small, so I would have to crawl out before I could stand. As I moved forward, my head bumped against something invisible. He must have sealed me in. It only took a second to take care of as I stood up outside, shivering lightly. I would have to warm up later-- I had to get out of here before he woke up…

His head nodded slightly, and my body froze. I waited, but he didn't wake up. I didn't dare stay there another second, so I left, running as fast and quietly as I possibly could. I should have known better, known that he'd set censors. I felt it when I ran through it, but I couldn't stop. The damage was done.

Now I really had to hurry. I probably had less than a few minutes before he would catch up to me-- but what would he do then?

What did he want with me after all this time? I stopped only for a second, trying to get my bearings and catch my breath. I could already sense him catching up; I had to keep moving.

I didn't know what hit me, but the next thing I knew, he'd crashed into me and knocked off of the tree, spinning me to face him before we hit the ground, himself on top of me. He pinned my arms beside my head and I tried to get away, flailing my legs underneath him.

"Stop that," he said, his voice cold. I shut my eyes tight and stopped struggling.

"Where do you think you're going?" He was angry-- I didn't want to say anything. Could this really be my Sasuke? "Answer me, Hinata." His grip tightened around my wrists, and I let out a small whimper.

No, he wasn't my Sasuke anymore. He never would have hurt me. I dared to peek at his face.

"You're coming back with me," he told me, making no room for argument. "And you will not run again."

He stood, one hand still gripping my wrist as he yanked me up toward him. I pulled away. I didn't like being so close to him.

Ignoring me, his free arm went around my waist to pull me closer as he jumped with me. My other arm reflexively went around him as he kept me tightly to his side-- I saw him smirking at me, but I didn't care… He wouldn't let me go, and I didn't want to fall.

It wasn't long before we were back at the camp. As soon as he let me go, I put a good distance between us. He only continued to smirk at me.

"Stay by the tent." He was amused by something, but I didn't really want to ask…

I tried to keep my eyes away from him-- usually unsuccessful-- and studied the ground. My hands started playing with the bottom of my shirt when I-- my jacket! Turning around quickly, my face turned the darkest shade of red.

"That's why I put the blanket around you," he said with a sigh. The next thing I knew, he was putting his shirt around me, leaving him topless, which didn't help with the blushing.

"T-thanks…" I hid my face in the jacket as I pulled it tighter around me.

Un-sure of what to do now, I shuffled my feet and stared at the ground more as he went about packing things up.

After a few minutes, he broke me from my silence. "Turn around and hold your hands out, Hinata." I do as I'm told, and he ties my wrists together, tying another rope to the middle like a leash. "For your own sake."

Now all I could do was glare at him. I saw him holding back a smirk, thinking that I was an angry kitten, when that me was long gone. I'd really have liked to hit him so hard his head would spin.

"Be careful, your face might stick like that." He chuckled under his breath and I let out an angry puff as we headed out, no doubt to find Orochimaru's snake-hole.

At the realization of where we are most certainly headed, my body begins to shake uncontrollably. Why would he be bringing me there?

Maybe I'm just over-thinking it, though… But what if I'm not? I'd heard of all the horrific creatures he made at his laboratories-- would he want the Byakugan for such experiments? Why take the heiress, though? They were bound to look for me once they saw I was missing…

I suppose an heiress would have the best bloodline-- the least tainted-- so I guess that explains it. Even still, everyone will come looking for me. What will Orochimaru do then?

Would they ever find me? So many questions, yet so little answers. They swirled around in my head and they weighed a ton-- as my head got heavy, the background began to darken. "S-Sasuke…"

- - - -

**Author's Note:**

Happy New Year's! I hope you all had fun.

We're working on the story as much as possible, and we hope you enjoy the longer chapter this time. See you next update.

Read, review, and have a great night.


	6. Sensing Panic

I rolled over in bed before even the sun had risen. I had to wake up early this morning to train Hinata-sama, as Hiashi-sama had ordered. Sitting up, I rubbed my tired eyes and cursed the morning. I do not like mornings. With one last glare out my window, I headed into the bathroom across the hall.

My long hair was full of tangles and it took several strokes with a brush just to loosen them before I could pull my hair back into its usual styling.

Heading back to my room, I wrapped the mark on my forehead and pulled on my usual clothes. I took my time before making my way to her section of the house.

It was quiet in the hallways this early in the morning with only the soft movement of servants preparing for the day to come. Coming to her door, I stopped before knocking softly.

I waited. No answer.

"Hinata-sama?" I kept my voice low, knocking again a bit louder. Could she be up this early already?

I opened the door just a crack-- the first thing I notice is that her bed hadn't even been slept in. She wasn't there.

Looking around first, I walk into the room to get a better view. There was a bag on the floor, but that was all. It didn't click at first; maybe she wound up staying with Naruto again.

Yes, surely ,that was where she was. I decided I'd go check, just to be sure. I'd also have to have another talk with her, which I wasn't really looking forward to at all.

Sighing, I left out the door on the porch so to not be seen by Hiashi-sama. Even if she wasn't there, if anyone knew where she was, it would be that blonde. Maybe I needed to have a talk with him as well.

Finally I could see the sun peeking over the horizon as I made my way away from the house toward Naruto's apartment. There was a small nagging feeling in the back of my mind the whole way there; I chose to ignore it.

Knocking on the door with quiet urgency, he didn't seem to be home either. He was probably out getting ramen-- I would wait for him here.

That's when I heard a loud crash. I couldn't help a small sigh. It was still a few more minutes before he managed to open the door. He looked at me, rubbing one eye before saying, "What's up?" I could see the mess of his living space behind his head.

I grimaced at the thought of what could be in the piles behind him, trying to keep my mind straight. "Is…" I peeked inside again before continuing. "Is Hinata-sama here?"

A confused look shades his face, "No," he peeks behind him as if to make sure of his answer, "Why?" His face clouds with a new emotion now.

"She wasn't at home this morning…" I could feel my eyes glaze over as I thought of where else she would be.

"I haven't seen her since…" In only took him a moment to decide he'd be coming with me; I could see the flicker in his eyes. "I'll come with you, to find her." He ran back inside for his clothes.

He seemed to be faster this time with coming back out. I gestured for him to go first as he closed the door.

"Any idea where she might be, Neji?" he asked.

I shook my head. We both would have known if she had a mission. That bag in her room kept flashing into my head-- what did it mean? "Could you ask around town?" He nodded at me. "I'll check around the village… Meet me back here in an hour."

"Sure thing," He nodded, heading off in his own direction as I went the opposite way, hoping she'd be in town somewhere.

For Hinata's sake, I hoped with all I had that he wouldn't go searching for her in a bowl of ramen. I started with the academy, asking the teachers and a few children. No such luck.

Everyone that I passed hadn't seemed to have seen her. The only other thing I could think of to do was to find her team. It was the only other likely place I could think of to find her.

Kiba was washing the dogs outside. I flinched every time the dogs looked ready to shake, feeling my eye twitch. "Haven't seen 'er, man. She usually drops by to help with these guys, too. Could've used her help today." He held up a sponge and grinned at me.

"Maybe you could help me?" I shot him a look and walked away, hearing him whining at me as the dogs started to bark in confusion.

I couldn't keep the thought that some people are just useless from slipping through my mind as I left him behind. I could only hope that Shino would be of more help when I found him. I'd always liked him, save for the whole bug thing.

He was at home, too, and his mother directed me to his room. The door opened, and it felt like the gateway to hell.

The curtains were drawn making the room very dark, and gloomy. But even in such little light, it seemed as though the room itself were alive. Bugs were crawling everywhere. As a chill skirt up my spine, I thought that maybe I didn't quite feel so fond of Shino anymore.

"What is it, Neji?" he asked, mumbling into the jacket that covered most of his face.

"Have you seen Hinata at all today?" I try to keep my eye from twitching as a little black beetle crawls along the visible part of his cheek.

I decided as he thought of his answer that the second he responded, I would leave, preparing my foot already.

He shook his head. "I haven't seen her since our last mission."

Nodding, I thanked him. He sounded like he was prepared to ask something like Kiba tried, and I interrupted him on purpose. "Have a good day." I had to get out of there, or the bugs would know what I had for lunch-- who _lived_ like that?

The only person left was Kurenai-sensei. At least she was normal, and there wouldn't be bugs crawling all over her and her house. But I was really beginning to get worried about Hinata-sama.

It was an unconscious gesture, but I was a bit rushed now, paranoid. If she wasn't here, I would have to alert Hiashi-sama. That would not be pretty. The more I thought about it, the more I hoped she would be there-- helping her around the house, or something, in her typical fashion.

Kurenai's house was quite as I came up to it and knocked on the door. After a while I began to wonder if she was even at home.

Turning to walk away, I heard a small cry. She was home, all right. I knocked on the door again, calling her name before checking the lock on the door. It was locked… Another cry told me what I had to do.

It was easy enough to break open the door, although she'd need a new lock. I went inside cautiously, not really sure what I was about to find.

"Kurunai?" I called, looking around. I found her in the empty room of her house, on the ground. She was cradling her stomach and I hurried to help her up. "Are you all right?" I asked, carefully supporting her weight as she stood now.

"Nn, yes. Thank you Neji," she said to me as I helped her to take a seat. I gave her a minute to stop shaking. "If you hadn't showed up, I'm not sure I would have been able to get up." She smiled and asked, "Why are you here, anyway?"

"I wanted to ask if you've seen Hinata around today…"

"Hmm, no, I haven't." Kurenai frowns. "Is something wrong?"

I sighed. "She wasn't at the manor this morning, and Naruto and I have been looking for her all day-- no luck yet, unfortunately…"

"Have you told Hiashi yet?" She asks me.

"I'm going to, seeing as I haven't found her yet." I answer.

She gave me an ironic smile. "Good luck with him."

- - - -

Now, I had to find Naruto, to see if he had better luck than I did. Naturally, all I had to do was look at the seats in Ichiraku to see orange. He must have gotten bored or tired, and decided to take a break.

"Any luck?" I asked as I walked up behind him, seeing him jump in surprise.

He turned around with a noodle sticking out of his mouth, swallowing it slowly as I stood beside him now. "I thought I found her, but when I grabbed her shoulder and turned her around…" He turned his face enough to show me a red mark on his cheek.

"I see… Well," I decided to take a seat next to him. "It probably serves you right."

I was actually surprised to see him run a hand back through his hair as he agreed with me. Instead, I would have that he'd come out with some silly remark or excuse. Perhaps Naruto really was beginning to grow up.

"What should we do now?" He asked, suddenly becoming quite serious.

Maybe it was just the fact that it was Hinata. A girl can change a lot about a man, so I've heard.

I sighed. "I should go tell Hiashi-sama…" Kurenai-sensei's luck would surely help me.

Or so I hoped.

As I got up to leave, Naruto started to speak, "I'm worried; this isn't like her…" He trailed off.

"Yeah. I'll let you know what happens next." After that, I headed back home. The conversation I was about to have was not going to be a pleasant one.

I knocked on the door of Hiashi-sama's study, on guard for anything he would throw, tables included. "Come in." The way he said it was more of an order, than a grant of permission.

I rolled open the door and stepped inside, bowing deeply to him.

"Oh, Neji…it's you." He seemed to be in good spirits today, which was a good start.

"Yes, sir," I said quietly, disappointed that fate had me break this to him on such a rare day. I cursed inwardly.

"What is it?" He put down the book he'd been reading, giving me his full attention. If it had been anyone other than Hinata, I probably would have gotten up and left, rather than deal with the storm I was about to endure.

"Sir, there's something I need to tell you." That was a good way to start.

The change of expression told me he didn't like waiting for news. "It's about Hinata…" There was a flash of something in his eyes, and he looked even more impatient than before. Almost angry.

"Go on." He said, staring me down until I gave him an answer. Why when ever things came to Hinata he got so…touchy, I would never understand. But it made this a great deal harder.

"Well, Hiashi-sama…She's missing." I cringed away instantly.

He stood up, shoving the tablet a foot away from where it was before. "What?" His voice was cold, so far passed angry the word burned. He looked to be fighting himself-- which I was grateful for, still prepared to dodge furniture. "Are…are you sure?"

By now I was on my feet. "She wasn't in her room this morning, her bed wasn't even slept in, sir. I've been out looking for her all day. I'm sure."

He lowered himself back down, and I felt the need to help him, knowing it would be even worse if he injured himself from falling. "Signs of struggle? Ransom note?" It sounded like he was talking to himself, staring at the floor as he pulled at strings.

I shook my head. "No note," I said, adding, "yet" when I looked at his expression again. It was frightful to see him like this-- such a strong man, on his knees for the disappearance of his daughter…

"We'll find her." I said, trying somehow to reassure him.

Hiashi-sama nodded, and seemed to gather himself. "We will. I'll send out search parties immediately. Also, I need to tell the Hokage about this." He was already giving orders, which is much better than I had originally hoped for. Plus, he didn't throw anything.

- - - -

She woke up eventually. It was easier to set up with her out, though, I'll say that much. I wrapped my shirt around her and had the backpack on her, so to make it easier for me to carry everything. She must have been tired from that run of hers, considering she woke up nearly an hour before we got back.

I kept her on top of me so the snake wouldn't feel the need to attach itself to her again-- she didn't seem to like that very much. Every now and then, I would feel her gripping at my back when we had a long jump from tree to tree.

Even if she'd gotten a little bolder, not much had changed. She was still quiet, and still very shy… And still the girl I loved.

As we got closer, I had to blindfold her-- Orochimaru's orders for kidnappings and hostages. She held on a little tighter, a reflex to being unable to predict the jumps. I used it as an excuse to hold her tighter.

Every time Hinata tightened her grip on my shoulders, I couldn't help but wondering what was going through her mind. I wondered if she hated me for this. She probably did.

And she had every right to.

To take her from family, from friends… From that blonde idiot I left her with. The way she is, she's probably more concerned about everyone looking for her, rather than worrying over why _he_ wants her. Though it's less disturbing to consider, that much is certain.

She'd have to learn to worry about herself soon. Orochimaru isn't the sort of person you can let your guard down around. Even if I'm there to watch over her, she wouldn't exactly be willing to except my help.

I would hope, however, that I would be a more pleasant alternative than he would be, regardless of what I'd done in the past. If not, maybe I had been gone longer than I thought.

We were almost there now. I would have to see Orochimaru's ugly face leering at her like some kind of prize in only a matter of minutes. I could only hope I wouldn't be overly tempted to kill him right then and there.

My hand gripped at the material around her legs. "W-what is it?" she asked nervously.

"We're almost there." My voice sounded colder than I'd wanted it to. "Please try not to do anything stupid…"

The last thing I needed was an escape attempt. Especially around Orochimaru. Back at the camp, it was okay, but around a man like that…

A chill rolled down my spine as I tried to focus on other things.

I set her down carefully when we got to the entrance, walking her inside before taking off her blindfold. She clung closer to me, probably out of instinct, when she could see again.

As we walked along the halls, she would sort of hide behind me with every person we encountered. I tried to keep a straight face, but it was harder than I thought it would be. I hesitated at the door, getting a quick look at her ahead of time.

"Don't say anything unless he speaks directly to you. Understand?" I warned her.

Slowly, she nodded with this half-frightened, half-agitated look on her face.

I pushed open the doors and heard her let out a small gasp in amazement of the room. It was impressive, until you understood where you really were.

"Sasuke-kun," he said my name with approval, that sickening lisp turning my stomach. "I see you've brought me a flower." My mouth twitched-- I wasn't ready for this. To listen to him soil her name…

We stepped further into the room. Hinata clung tighter to my shoulder, her eyes darting around trying to see the room better in the dim candle light.

All the while, Orochimaru's eyes never left her. A few minutes passed in complete silence, until finally he opened his mouth to speak, "Come here, girl." His voice hissed out.

I had never felt so helpless as she let go of me, her hands coming close to her mouth as she approached him. Why did I do this? Why did I put her in this situation? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

It took everything I had to keep still as Orochimaru left his chair, and strolled up to her. She flinched away as he brought a pale hand up to her cheek. I had to grit my teeth and bare it for the time being.

"Lovely," he smirked, his tongue slithering out of his mouth to flick at her as she took a step back. His smirk grew wider, a sick sense of pride in that he could scare her so easily. He took his hand away and crossed his arms, looking her over. He kept his sight on her eyes, a greedy glint shining in the dark.

He flicked his eyes once in my direction and I had a terrible sense of dread.

"Now, I wonder what I ought to have done with you, now that I have you." He licked his lips with that unnatural tongue as he thought over his options.

His eyes returned to her and stayed as he said my name. "Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes, sir?" I cleared my throat a little, slightly worried for what he would want. What _would _he do to her?

"I'd like to have your opinion. Where should we keep this little flower?"

Hinata dared a look back at me, as it seemed it was up to me now what he'd do with her next.

"She can stay in my room, sir…" I figured that may be the best area for her, and it would be easy for me to keep an eye on her.

There was something in his eyes, again-- something that told me this was exactly what he wanted. This worried me more than before, about his intentions for her here.

"Perfect." He grinned at me. "Just make sure she doesn't escape. It'd be sad to lose such a precious thing as her."

"Sir." I nodded my head in a quick bow, and then motioned for Hinata to come over to me. She didn't have to be told twice. As she came over to me, I'm sure that she felt his eyes on her back as surely as I could see them, watching her.

- - - -

We both got out of there as fast as we could-- I tried to make it less obvious, but she didn't seem to care. I showed her to my room and closed the door behind us, letting out a quiet sigh.

She whipped around and glared at me with that angry kitten face of her. I honestly couldn't help letting out a laugh, when she looked at me in that way.

As I chuckled, her face started turning a little red. I wasn't sure why it was-- anger or embarrassment-- but I wrapped my arms around her and kept her close, practically feeling the shock in such a sudden embrace. "W-what?"

Realizing myself, I pulled away from her quickly. Her face was completely red, and she looked very confused. I looked away, deciding it was best to ignore the entire incident and forget that it ever happened.

"You're probably tired; you can use my bed." I told her before turning and opening the door to leave. "Stay here. I'll bring you some food." I closed the door firmly behind me without looking at her again.

I knew she wouldn't leave. She was probably frightened to tears, but I knew I had to do what I did. Even if I took her sister instead, I knew that Hinata would have wished it was her. She was too kind; she cared too much.

But that was what made her so wonderful.

I gathered myself and pushed my emotions aside. I needed to go and get her something to eat, and probably something for myself as well.

As I walked to the kitchen, I couldn't help wondering what Orochimaru wanted with her. It could be so hard to read him sometimes.

Obviously enough, it was for power. But what kind? I doubted that he would…dissect her or anything… I shivered at the thought. She was the only subject he had with the Byakugan-- that I knew of. Perhaps he knew what he was doing, though. Maybe he didn't want to test anything at all.

It was a relief on my mind, if only to know the possibility of it. I just had to hope that whatever he had planned, would not harm her in any way.

Although, I was naïve to think that, because even if Orochimaru never hurt her physically, it was certain she'd be emotionally hurt by the whole situation. A situation I'd put her in personally. She'd probably hate me forever.

I just had to remind myself that if I wasn't the one to get her, others would, and they would be far less gentle with her. They wouldn't care for her well-being like I did.

With that thought in mind I started rummaging around for something to eat. The kitchen in the complex was as dirty as the rest of the place. It was disgusting, trying even to find a clean bowl for some rice.

Someone had to clean this place, and it wouldn't be me. I would have to do some…persuading later, with one of the men. Or two. My eyes took in the mess again, and I went with three. The next three I saw would need to clean.

I couldn't help smirking at the thought. It would be good to let off some steam. I headed back to the room careful not to spill the bowls I'd prepared for her and myself. I wondered if she'd be asleep when I got back, or if she'd be pacing the room trying to figure out what to do next.

As I opened the door, I saw that she was moving things around…organizing. She'd even found the extra mattress and had made the blankets and everything.

She was so into what she was doing, I don't think she heard me come in. After standing and watching her a moment, I said, "Hinata, what're you doing?"

She snapped up and turned to me with this strange, yet adorable little expression on her face. I could see her starting to turn red in the face as I set down the dishes I'd been carrying.

"I-I saw that there was a m-mess, and I f-figured you wouldn't have time to c-clean… S-so I…" She didn't continue, turning darker as she looked down.

I took the moment to smirk, sliding the bowl in her direction. "Here," I told her, motioning to the bowl as I picked up some rice to eat, myself. "Eat."

She looked down at the bowl for a long while-- at one point, she reached out for it, but didn't take it up.

"What's wrong? It's not poisoned." As I said this, she shot me one of her angry glares.

I chuckled at her, and she didn't seem to like that. "Am I amusing, Sasuke-kun?" The way she said it was sad, reflecting the slight anger on her face.

I knew what she meant by it. "I had to do it, Hinata…" We weren't talking about her expression anymore.

She glanced away. "W-why though?" Her voice was laced with a deep sadness.

"He wants the Byakugan… If not you, then who would he send me after? Your sister? Your cousin?" She flinched as I mentioned them, and I could see the pain in her eyes, no worse than the pain of knowing that she was the one who had to be here, no doubt.

I could tell she didn't really have any more fight in her right then. "Eat," I told her again. She wouldn't look at me as she took the bowl and went to sit on the mattress, away from me.

Sighing, I stood and placed my own bowl on the desk-- now free of clutter-- as I carefully picked her up from the arms and put her down on the bed, turning away to start eating. She had a confused look on her face, slightly puffed with rice.

"You'll be using the bed." I picked up my bowl and sat in the chair as I started to eat.

- - - -

**Author's Note:**

Hey! How're you all doing?

Yoko and I have spent all night finishing this chapter, and I'm sure we both hope you love it. We're very excited about this story, but we never have the time to write together, as I'll bet you've noticed.

We are hoping to finish the whole story this summer--for real this time!-- but you must be patient with us.

Read, review, and enjoy! (Though maybe not in that order. *winks* )

See you next time.


	7. Let The Search Begin

Neji dragged me along to see the old lady, and she didn't have the best reaction to it. I raised a hand to feel the bump on my head as she instructed us all, splitting us into small teams to search around the village.

Normally, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But since it was Hinata-chan-- the heiress of the Hyuuga family, as others knew her-- we needed to get her back before there was an all-out war between her father and the rest of the planet.

Long after the other teams had been sent out, Neji and I remained. And for the longest time Tsunade just glared at me. Finally she shifted her eyes to Neji and said, "I'm counting on you, Neji," here, she glanced at me, giving me a quick dirty look I recognized all too well, "…to make sure Naruto doesn't screw anything up."

I felt a vein pop in my forehead and I yelled, "Hey! How do you know he won't screw up?"

"Because I am trained, composed, and you are…" Neji looked me up and down-- I remembered why I didn't like him very much. He was a smug bastard.

I clenched my fist tightly, trying desperately not to punch him and prove that grandma at the desk right. "What ever," I sighed out and turned away.

She just let out a puff of annoyance and said to him, "Take this scroll, Neji. It has my stamp of approval, so you shouldn't run into any problems elsewhere." I could feel my nails go into my skin-- why did he have to be the trusted one?

"You two are the only ones leaving the main parameter of the village, so you may need it if you're led to another village. I expect a full report in no more than a week."

Neji bowed his head and gave a simple, "Yes ma'am," before grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me out the door with him.

"Hey! Don't touch me!" I pulled my hand away and followed him anyway.

He sighed, and I heard him mutter, "Jeez" under his breath.

I decided to focus on finding Hinata. I'd just have to deal with Neji until we figured out what happened. Moreover, I just wanted to find her and have her safe in my arms again.

Whoever took her would have to deal with me. They would have a lot coming to them.

Before the two of us set out, we each loaded a bag with supplies we might need. The guards at the gate waved Neji and I out as he led us into the woods to search for Hinata. I was absolutely determined to find her.

I grinned and ran my thumb across my nose, looking up at the sky. Turning to see Neji, he had a frown on his face-- or maybe it was just neutral. It was hard to tell with him 'cause he was always frowning at something.

"Don't worry, Neji," I patted him on the back—he didn't really seem to like that—and added, "We'll find her."

His face kind of twitched, but I knew he wanted to smile. Maybe his face just wouldn't let him. I think he was trying so hard, it might've hurt, because his eyebrows twitched, too.

"Please, just don't screw this up," He gave me a side long glance. I could tell that he had very little confidence in me to begin with; he really didn't have to make a point of saying it.

I turned around and yelled, "I should be saying that to you!"

"Be quiet." Neji said. I tried my hardest in the moment to stare him down, but after a while you realize it's really hard to stare a guy with no pupils down.

Frowning, I mumbled, "Jerk," and crossed my arms. He started walking into the forest on his own and I followed him, pouting all the way.

It wasn't too long after that, that we began really searching for Hinata. There just wasn't any trace of her at all. Even Neji, using his Byakugan, couldn't find anything that would suggest she was still anywhere nearby.

I was just thinking how hopeless our search seemed when I planted it, face first on the ground. "I hate roots!" I screamed in frustration.

He mumbled something that I didn't understand, jumping down to pull on the back of my jacket to get me back on my feet. I dusted myself off and ran over to the tree I'd tripped on, concentrating chakra into my foot so I wouldn't hurt it-- I'm a genius, in case you didn't know-- and I kicked it as hard as I could.

There was a huge dent in the side, pieces of it flying all around as I stood by, proud of myself. Until I heard more cracking, as the tree started growing.

I looked up and noticed that it was falling. "You idiot!" Neji yelled at me, shoving me aside as he jumped away.

There was a loud crashing sound accompanied by a whole flock of birds flying up and away from the mess I'd just caused.

I could hear Neji cursing on the other side of the tree, and when I'd finally pulled myself up and dusted myself off, I made my way over to him. He was sitting awkwardly on the ground just out of reach of the fallen tree's branches. His back was to me.

When I went around to the front of him, I could see a long gash in his right forearm.

"Naruto, you idiot." He fumed at me, as he ripped off a bit of bandage to cover the wound with.

"You're the idiot for getting injured like that!" I yelled at him, kneeling to help him wrap his arm. His face was twitching again, and I pulled on it real tight.

"Naruto!!" He yelled in pain, and I heard more birds flying away.

Needless to say, he hit me for that one—with his good hand.

"Ouch!" I said, and, out of habit, hit him back. His body was still sideways to me, so…

He yelled again, standing up as he threw a kunai by my head. "I'm going to kill you!" I ran.

I wished I had been watching where I was going as I stepped right off the edge of a deep ravine and ended up clinging hopelessly to the edge by a finger or two. Neji stood above me, scowling. "Serves you right," he said coldly.

"Come on!" I yelled at the sky, hoping he'd show me some sympathy. I didn't want to look down. "Help me up!"

"Are you going to keep being stupid and causing me trouble-- not to mention pain?" This time I'm sure that twitch in his lip edged higher into a smirk.

I nodded quickly as his foot edged closer to my hand. I scrambled a little for my grip, trying to get a look that would simmer some kind of sympathy from him, but his face stayed the same. His eyes turned to see something, and the smirk widened. I preferred the frown now.

As I tried to find some way to get some footing, he kicked my hands and I fell back, yelling and rolling down the cliff as I waited to hit the ground. I felt myself go underwater and stayed still as it soaked me. The ground didn't come. I was already there. My eyes opened slowly and I gasped, taking in water before I sat up and started coughing.

The water was in my ears, but I thought I heard Neji start laughing-- it only sounded like a chuckle with the sounds blocked. When I turned to pout in his direction, he only had a smirk.

I tossed my head side to side, hoping to dislodge the water from them so that I could hear properly. Neji was watching me with that amused little sneer still on his face. Holding back from hitting him, I took out my anger in wringing to death my jacket. At least I got most of the water out of it that way.

"Bath time already?" he asked, the tone thick with sarcasm. I put the jacket back on and started up the hill. "At least the stench is gone." He lifted his hand to his nose to emphasize the point.

"Shut up or I'll drown you." I muttered as I passed by him. All the fight had been drained from me, thanks to my 'refreshing' swim.

"I'd like to see you try," he whispered; I could hear that cocky grin in just the way he said it.

Thankfully, as he followed behind me, he didn't add more insult to injury. The one good thing about Neji was really that he did know when to shut up.

We looked around until the designated time, and I wished I was like Kiba. A dog would really help right about now-- why couldn't I be teamed up with someone like that? Even with those eyes of his, he couldn't find anything if he wasn't close enough, and by now, they were probably in another country by now!

Even though I was completely paranoid now, and all twitchy and fidgeting, it seemed Neji was ever calm, cool, and collected. That started to bother me as we headed back. His cousin was missing with out a trace, and it didn't seem to bother him at all. But then, when he thought I wasn't looking I saw a break in that façade of his.

His expression was pained, eyebrows pulled up in a way that assured me the two of them were related. Give him some bangs and make him blush and he would've looked just like her.

Just then he jerked his head in my direction and I felt like he'd somehow known what I was just thinking about him. Though, he couldn't have, or else I'd already be dead.

"I see something," he told me, heading off into the direction of what I hoped to be a hint of where she'd gone.

As I followed him into a small clearing I could see him bent over the remains of a fire, maybe a day or so old. I glanced around, trying to find something, anything else, to tell us who had been here.

Yes, someone was here-- and recently-- but we couldn't be sure who, or even if they were the ones who had taken Hinata. "We could follow broken branches," he told me soberly, turning to look back. "But it could just be a waste of time."

I nodded, thinking. "We could split up…cover more ground?" I looked at him, only to see his icy, disapproving gaze.

"Do you realize the logic behind teams, Naruto?" he asked me, looking away as he surveyed the site.

"I realize we're wasting time!" I hadn't meant to snap at him like that, but I continued anyway, trying to get my point across. "Hinata could be in real trouble…we have to find her. Standing around here isn't doing any good."

He sighed, knowing I was right. "You must learn some patience; your feelings for my cousin, as well as your anger, will make this much harder than it needs to be."

Neji looked around the clearing once more. "There's no point in either of us staying here. Whoever it was that camped here is long gone."

"However…" He paused to look at me from head to toe. "We could use your idea… There will probably be a trail of broken branches to follow." He said it grudgingly, wary of my reaction.

"Alright." I think my calmness shocked him. He just nodded to me as he begin to pick around the edges, looking for a trail to follow.

Sasuke woke me as he was preparing to leave. "Stay in this room," he said. "Please." I wasn't sure how often he used the word, but I could tell this was an important request. It was too bad that I did not want to stay.

"W-where are you going?" I sort of wanted to stay with him, if only to get the heck out of the tiny box of a room.

He sighed, his lips turned into what looked like a faint smile. "Orochimaru requires my presence." And that was all I needed to know to change my mind about going with him.

Sasuke seemed to read the expression on my face and understand well enough that I wasn't going to go with him now. He left, telling me one last time that it was best that I stayed where I was.

That was the last thing I was going to do. Yes, I would refrain from following him to Orochimaru, but I would look for the exit once I thought he would be far enough away from the room to know I was leaving.

Getting up, I paced the room for a few minutes just waiting. Once I figured he was long gone I went to the door. Opening it just a crack, there wasn't much to see. It was all darkness, with a dim candle far down the hall.

At least the rooms were well-lit, I supposed. The sooner I left, the better, though-- a week or two here and I would probably go blind.

The door shut quietly behind me, and I gave myself a second or two to get used to the change of light before walking down a long, creepy passageway.

I looked in both directions, hoping that all of the guards were busy somewhere that was not where I needed to go. As I began walking down the hall, I noticed all of the maze-like qualities of this base.

It made me take good notice of the way I went. I was not about to get myself lost in this crazy place.

Sasuke must have done it after knocking me out, but as I'd tried to activate my Byakugan many times, it was easy to tell that he'd blocked my chakra flow. He really was on the other side now…

I shook my head, trying not to think of how things used to be…how he used to be. If he was really with Orochimaru, he was an enemy and I couldn't let my emotions get in the way of that.

There was whispering down the hall, and I tried to hide in another hallway, close enough to hear, but far enough to remain unseen.

At first I thought maybe there were three people there, but after a bit of listening I could tell it was only two males. One seemed to be grumbling about something. It sort of reminded me of Naruto for a moment.

"'Clean the kitchen', he says," one mumbled angrily. "'This place is disgusting', he says. If it's so unworthy of His Highness Uchiha's standards, why won't he do something about it himself?"

I couldn't help but snicker at this; picturing Sasuke cleaning a kitchen himself. Though afterward I really wished I hadn't. The conversation down the hall stopped abruptly, and I had that feeling of being stared at.

"Who's there?" The other man snapped.

For a moment, I considered running; I wondered if one could run without making a sound. Without chakra, it was not likely. How could I tell if they had chakra or not? If I ran, they could probably catch me, but if I didn't…

I heard the one take a step toward me. "Who's there?" He sounded very pissed off now. "Answer me!"

Without another second's notice, I ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction, praying this maze did not have dead-ends. Almost immediately after I started running, I heard both of them begin to chase after me.

Then I could only hear one set of foot falls behind me. I didn't have time to wonder what had happened to the second man as I skittered around a corner I barely noticed coming. I ran straight into someone's rock hard chest. Well, at least now I knew one of them had chakra…

He grabbed my wrists, pinning them against the wall as I let out a gasp. Keeping my eyes closed, I waited for something to happen. Was he going to kill me? What did they do when one gets caught eavesdropping in such a place?

The beast let out a low chuckle, and unfortunately, I got a good whiff of his rank breath, "Look at what we have here. Are you lost, honey?" I opened my eyes to see him grinning at me. It gave me serious shivers.

"N-no… Just out f-for a s-stroll…" I lied, hoping he would release me. " N-now I should be getting b-back…" I tugged against his hands, but he wouldn't budge.

The other man finally walked up to us. "I don't recognize her," he said to his buddy. He too, eyed me like a piece of candy in the store.

"Though it's not like we get a lot of females around these parts…" His face came closer to mine, moving close to my neck. "She smells like expensive perfumes-- lovely…" The tone drifted as I closed my eyes again, feeling my face heat up.

Just as I was about to lash out at him, I feel that he's suddenly no longer on top of me. I heard him crash against the opposite wall.

Then, "Can't anyone in this place do as they're told?" Sasuke sounded irritated.

I swallowed hard, hugging my arms to my chest as he grabbed the man by his shirt, lifting him up against the wall. "I thought I told you two to clean this dump?"

"Why should we have to clean while you're off with that little pet of yours?" We locked eyes, and I stared at the ground, wishing I had never left the room.

I swear that I could hear Sasuke grit his teeth. He let the man go. "Get out of here, before I decide to kill you." The Uchiha stepped back to let the man pick himself up, and as the two started to scamper off, called after, "And don't ever touch her again."

Swallowing hard again, I waited for him to say something as he turned around to face me. But he didn't say a word as he started walking away; I was too afraid _not _to follow him.

Of course, he led me straight back to his room. He didn't speak until we were inside, and the door was closed. "Are you alright?" He asked, without looking at me.

"Y-yeah…" I wasn't sure what to say; he was unpredictable now. I couldn't tell what would make him angry or what would keep him…well, not angry. It was hard to tell what he was feeling now, or at all. He didn't seem like the happy type anymore.

He let out a trembling sigh, which to say the least, wasn't what I'd been expecting. "Good," Sasuke turned to me then. "Please stop doing stupid things, Hinata." His dark eyes pleaded with me, and I saw some of my old Sasuke in him just then.

"If I wasn't there when I was…" He stopped mid-sentence and I'm sure we could both imagine the potential of such a situation. I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself as I watched my feet.

"Sorry," I squeaked out.

The next thing I knew, he was standing right in front of me. He'd gotten so tall, I realized when I had to look up to look him in the eyes.

I hid my face in his chest, not wanting to see the anger spark in his eyes. I felt his arms around me, keeping me close.

Memories from when we were young flooded into my head. I had to struggle to remind myself how much Sasuke had changed, how cruel he'd become since he left the village…since he left me.

No, that wasn't fair… Though it was true. I'd fought with myself for years upon years over why he left, all the time, knowing why. It was for power-- for revenge. But even if I knew, in the back of my head, I would always ask myself if I was good enough for this. Good enough for him.

My heart ached in my chest, and I felt horrid as I realized that I still had feelings for him. I felt like I was somehow betraying Naruto by letting those kinds of thoughts back into my head.

And then it dawned on me. Naruto. What was he going through right now? Were they searching for me? I felt tears begin to dampen Sasuke's shirt as I silently cried into his chest.

Sasuke patted my hair gently. I pulled away from him then. As good as it felt to be in his arms, it felt worse knowing Naruto was probably freaking out, just hoping he could hold me in his again soon.

**Author's Note:**

Hello again from Yoko and I! Miss us? We're getting close to the end, as our ninja search for Hinata! I hope you all love the story so far, because I know we do.

As I type, we are working on the next chapter, which, hopefully, you will get to see soon.

Remember to review if you have the time! We love hearing from you guys. Thanks for reading, and have a great night!


	8. What a Lovely Flower

We left a marker and decided to head back to the village, making sure to get extra previsions, as well as suggest that Kiba come with us. This was Neji's idea, knowing that as an heiress, she had a certain smell that would be easy for an animal to track.

Grandma Tsunade saw to it that we had everything we needed, even sending for Kiba to return from the mission he was currently on. The woman could work wonders.

Kiba was happy to come along. He packed quickly, and we set off to the scene of discovery, hoping that Akamaru could find something that resembled Hinata's scent.

"Hey, guys…" Kiba gave us an odd look. He sat on his haunches, like a dog would and tilted his head as he spoke. We waited for him to continue. "I…I smell Sasuke."

"What?" Neji and I said it at the same time, though our expressions were entirely different. My mouth had fallen open and I couldn't seem to shut it. "What would Sasuke want with-" Neji stopped mid-sentence as realization hit his face.

"What?" I said again, getting impatient.

Before he could answer me though, it dawned on me. I remembered the story of how Hinata was almost kidnapped once before, for her eyes. Orochimaru had wanted Sasuke's sharingan. Why wouldn't he also want the byakugan?

"Orochimaru," Neji whispered.

I felt like I'd gotten shocked as I had to get this going faster. "We'll follow you, Kiba. Just hurry."

The only things that were going through my mind as we haphazardly tracked Kiba through the trees were that I was going to beat Sasuke to death for stealing Hinata away, and then I was going to kill Orochimaru for making him do it. Because I had to believe that Orochimaru made him do it…

"It's getting a little hard to trace; we'll have to slow down to make sure we've got the scents right," he yelled back to us. We both nodded. I didn't like this…

"Would he hurt her?" I heard Neji mumble to himself—his calm strength beginning to crack under pressure—as we stopped to wait for Kiba to pick up the scent once more.

I walked up next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think Sasuke could hurt her…" I was glad he didn't shrug me off.

"Maybe you're right, but if ordered to…" I felt a chill go down my spine, knowing that if he could kidnap her, what else would he be capable of now? He wasn't the team mate I used to know. But did he still care for her like he used to?

I wanted desperately to reassure Neji that Sasuke could never do it, but I needed to convince myself first. If ordered to…

Would Sasuke be able to hurt the girl he once loved?

* * *

After my "adventure", Sasuke made it entirely clear that I would never leave the room alone. I quickly agreed, not willing that any of it would happen again.

After he stopped holding me I was glad he went all serious Sasuke on me again, because I was still too emotional to have some kind of heartfelt talk with him. I listened as he laid down the rules. Then he told me that I should probably go back to sleep.

He grabbed the pull-away bed for me, and I decided he was right, though I still wasn't sure of the time. It was always so dark… Though it made it easier for me to fall under- to dream…

_I was in Konoha, looking up at all of the Hokage as I saw someone atop the Second's head. "That's what you get, for never choosing, Hinata-chan," Orochimaru called to me as he licked his lips, a sickening smirk on his pale white face._

_Turning to look at both sides of me, I saw Naruto and Sasuke, yelling at each other, just as I had in the other dreams. I was between them this time and I saw them gesturing towards me as they yelled._

"_You left her!"_

"_You kept her from following me!"_

_Just then, they changed again, color spreading around the village from their own sides, but in the middle, where I was…it was purple. I looked down to see a violet growing atop the building we were on, and just as I turned back to them, they pounced at each other, and met in the middle, where I was._

I woke up in a cold sweat. The room was dark, and sort of chilly. I couldn't see where Sasuke was, but I could feel that he was in the room.

Pulling the blankets around me tighter, I stared into the darkness, unwilling to fall asleep again. These dreams could not leave me alone- could one at least have a nice ending? Maybe Orochimaru could die in one…

"Are you all right?" he asked, the voice coming from a corner of the room somewhere.

A light gasp left me as I looked blindly about for him. Then he was there, on the edge of the bed. "Hinata?"

"I-I just had a bad dream…" I looked up at him and smiled awkwardly. "T-that's all…"

Even in the darkness of the room I could see the uncertain look that he gave me.

"I'm fine," My voice sounded stronger, I was thankful for that. "R-really." I tried to wave him off, but he kept on watching me.

"Are you sure?" he asked, earnest concern flooding his voice. Why did he have to care? Why couldn't he be the cold-hearted, evil man everyone said that he had become?

My voice came out almost snappy, "I'm sure." I let my eyes leave his then. I didn't want to look at him and keep seeing the little boy I used to know. He was different now. At least that's what I was trying to tell myself.

I saw from the corner of my eye that he had a look I couldn't interpret very well. Watching the blanket in my lap, I avoided eye contact, but I could still feel him watching me.

"Hinata," He ventured. I felt him shift closer to me on the bed, and my back went rigid.

I turned to him, staring at his shoulder, instead of his face. "Y-yes?" My voice could not keep from quivering.

He leaned forward putting his hand on my shoulder, and pulled me to him. My heart began racing in my chest. All I could think about as I felt Sasuke put his arms around me was that I was betraying Naruto.

"D-don't," I whispered, pushing lightly at his chest as I closed my eyes.

"It's alright," He mumbled into my hair, holding me tighter to him.

I shook my head and felt my face warm up. "L-let me go!" I pushed a little harder on his chest.

When his grip loosened in shock or surprise, I pushed him harder to get away. I felt a moment of guilt for the confused looked that played across his features, but I couldn't have his hands on me.

Looking away from him, my sight started blurring with tears. I could hear that he was going to say something, but someone knocked on the door just in time… He sighed and stood up to answer it.

On his way to the door he lit a candle to give us some light. I pulled the blanket up to my shoulders as I waited to see who was at the door when he opened it. Just as Sasuke reached for the knob, I got a terrible chill down my back. I was sure I knew who was there.

He opened the door to reveal Orochimaru, the candle light on his face making him appear much more devious. I gripped tighter at the blanket, wishing to disappear.

Sasuke bowed his head, suddenly very formal now that his master had entered the room.

"I've come to check on my flower," he hissed, passing Sasuke.

I noticed he was carrying something that looked like a kimono. He approached the bed with what would have been a smile on a normal person, but on him… Another chill rolled down my spine as he sat on the bed, widening his "friendly" smile.

He reached out his purple hand to caress my cheek. I tried not to flinch away, but I couldn't keep from cringing at his touch. "How are you today, Hinata-chan?" I hated the way my name rolled of his tongue.

"V-very tired," I told him hesitantly. "I-I should g-get back to s-sleep…"

He let out a low chuckle that made my skin crawl. "If Sasuke-kun isn't treating you well enough, you can stay…elsewhere." I didn't like the glint in his eye when he said 'elsewhere'.

I shake my head furiously, "I'm fine here."

"Are you sure?" he asked politely, moving his eyes to look at Sasuke for a second before looking back at me. It seemed as if he were pushing me to say something against Sasuke, or his room.

I glanced at Sasuke too; he was watching me. It almost seemed like he was begging to me, with his eyes at the time. When I looked back to Orochimaru, he had that grin on his face again. "I'm fine here," I asserted.

Chuckling again, his face became amused. "If you say so, my dear."

He stood up, but turned back to me, pretending to remember something. "Ah, yes, and also…" He placed the folded kimono onto the corner of the bed. "Something clean to wear- I'm sure it's rather unpleasant in those old clothes of yours. I'll send for them at a later time, and I believe Sasuke will attend to any other needs you may have…" He was hinting at something that I did not care to figure out, but he exchanged glances with Sasuke, whose expression depressed.

I didn't feel relaxed again until several minutes after Sasuke had shut and locked the door behind the snake man. Sasuke wouldn't look at me, either. He was probably still smarting from having me push him away.

"I-I'm sorry…" I whispered quietly, pulling the kimono into my lap as I fiddled with the material.

He gave me a questioning look, but didn't say anything. The awkward silence began to drag out and I felt like I had to say something, or I'd burst. "I-it's j-just that…" I could feel myself beginning to babble.

But he saved me from it. "You and Naruto, right?" I could feel the edge to his voice as if it were the blade of a kunai knife.

I could only nod as the guilt choked me, my hand gripping at the poisonous gift.

Sasuke held himself back, but I could see the rage in his eyes. He clenched his fist tight as he looked at me, holding the kimono in my hands. I could have only guessed at what was running through his mind.

"I'll let you change." his voice sounded with shreds of anger and sadness as he opened the door to leave. "Stay here," he reminded me.

Once he shut the door, I slipped from the bed and held the kimono up against myself. It really was a gorgeous thing. It was a deep purple with gold patterns sewn into it.

In the back of my mind, I wondered if Orochimaru had bought it or stolen it. But I suppose it didn't matter, because he was right- these clothes were very unpleasant… I kept it off the floor for a moment while I made sure the door was locked before sliding my shirt off.

The rest of my clothes followed save for my underwear. Then I carefully pulled on the kimono and tied the obi tightly around me. I couldn't tell say just how amazing it felt to have clean clothing on again.

Though I couldn't help but wonder, if they would be getting underclothes as well… My face turned red as I considered the fact that, so far, everyone has led me to believe there are no women in this compound. And Sasuke would be the one doing…

It felt like my face was going to explode as it turned darker, the level of blood in my face making it hard to stand.

I shook my head to free it from those kinds of thoughts. Slowly I could feel my face cooling as I relaxed a bit. I sat down on the edge of the bed, not quite sure what to do next.

Surely, the fact he brought me fresh clothes meant that he was trying to win me over. But for what purpose? Did he do this with all of his hostages? It made me wonder about the process behind all of his experiments- were they forced, or did his victims willingly sacrifice themselves for his…science.

Did Orochimaru try it the nice way, hoping they'd just submit to him? Sasuke willing went to Orochimaru for power. Why wouldn't other's do the same thing? Even so, few people would just let themselves be used like that. I wasn't about to be used like that…

If he only wanted my eyes, then wouldn't I be dead already?

He didn't seem like the type of person you could make sense of, though, and it made me even more anxious. For all I knew, he just thought kidnapping heiresses was a fun thing to do over the weekend.

* * *

It was getting dark right around the time Kiba lost the scent trail. Neji, in all his infinite wisdom thought it'd be a good idea to start making camp. I couldn't really complain, since I was exhausted myself, but I wanted to keep going. I wanted to find Hinata as soon as possible.

Imagining her stuck with Orochimaru just made me so determined… I felt like I could go for days, but we couldn't get the scent back when it disappeared. We had to search for it in the morning.

Neji was glaring at me for not helping, so I got up and starting putting up one of the tents. At least he wasn't yelling at me. Glaring was better than yelling.

When I finished setting the tent, I could see Akamaru and Kiba circling our little camp site, claiming their territory.

After a moment, the wind started to blow, and we both got a lung-full. I started coughing, and Neji looked ready to show us his lunch. "You idiot! Go off into the woods and do that!"

Kiba just let out a low chuckle and smiled, "Sorry about that," while Akamaru whined at his side. Neji and I plugged our noses and shook our heads. Sure, Kiba was useful, but he was a pain as well.

I knew dogs did that, but the Inuzuka, too? Peeing in a bush or something was fine, but all over the camp…

"Guys, seriously, it's not that bad." Kiba said when he'd finished and come back over to us. Neji could only give him a disgruntled look as he ducked away into his tent. Kiba gave me a weak grin.

As he walked towards me, I motioned him to come in close. "He's used to all the princess smells," I whispered. "His nose is so delicate, he can smell something putrid eight miles away."

Kiba barked a laugh. "Then why am I here?"

I tried to keep my own laugh quiet so that we wouldn't tick Neji off any further. "We should get to sleep too," I sighed, and ducked into my own tent- as did Kiba and Akamaru.

As much as I wanted to fall asleep and wake up, I couldn't get myself to do the first half. I tossed and turned, thinking of ways I could make this go faster. Heck, I'd get my face to the ground and start sniffing if I thought it would do me any good.

* * *

I left Hinata alone in my room again. She had on that angry kitten face of hers as she glared at me before I left and asked, "How long am I going to have to stay in this stupid room?"

Now as I sat at the table, waiting for Orochimaru to show up—he tells me I have to come, and then he's not even here—I keep thinking of her as I stare across the dinner table at Kabuto.

"Where is he?" I asked impatiently, assuming the Snake's egg would know. He looked up from what looked to be a medical journal to shrug at me.

"You should be more respectful of Orochimaru-sama, Sasuke-kun." It seemed that was all the medic would ever say to me.

I closed my eyes and rolled them as I frowned, hoping that Hinata would have the sense to stay in the room this time. I preferred to take my food and leave- especially with her here- but an order was an order. Maybe one of the men would be bringing her dinner tonight.

My patience was nearly at its limit. Orochimaru could scold me about it later. I was about to leave and damned be the consequences, when the door snapped open.

Glad that I hadn't gone far from the table, I went back to my seat as he came in. And then I saw Hinata, following behind him like a scolded child. As she came closer, it was then that I really _looked _at her. She was wearing the kimono that was given to her by Orochimaru, and if it were anyone else, I would commend him on the choice.

Orochimaru took his seat at the head of the large table, leaving Hinata standing awkwardly by his side, unsure what she should do. "Sit down, Hinata-chan," the Snake cooed.

I watched as her eyes darted up to look at me, and then Kabuto, before going back the ground. "I said, sit!" Orochimaru raised his voice at her. Hinata scrambled as she pulled out the chair nearest him and sat down with a frightened squeak.

My hand gripped at my pants reflexively, trying not to let my anger show. I turned my eyes to Hinata with the knowledge that I couldn't stay angry with such beauty in sight. Her hair was pulled back partially and her bottom lip was being chewed off with the nervous aura surrounding her.

The kimono she wore fit her well, a midnight purple color on the brim, while the rest of it was the color of her eyes. Patterns that matched the wall of the compound outlined themselves along the material in blue, lines thickening as they retreated downwards.

She continually glanced at up at me, as we sat and waited for our meals. Orochimaru seemed all too pleased with himself, and I wanted nothing more than to punch his face in. I clenched my fist, fighting the urge away.

"Sasuke-kun," he seemed to draw out my name purposefully this time, an amused expression lighting his face as a vein popped in my forehead. "Why so tense?"

* * *

My eyes shot up again to glance at his face. The way Orochimaru drew out his name sent chills up and down my spine.

"I'm not tense." Sasuke seemed to grit his teeth as he replied. The Snake ninja chuckled at this, perfectly amused by his pupil.

He was right- he wasn't tense. He was angry. "H-he's probably j-just hungry…" I stuttered quietly, trying to smile.

"Ah, you're probably right, Hinata-chan." The gleam in Orochimaru's eye made me sink lower in my chair, trying to hide. "Sasuke-kun does get in such a foul mood when he's hungry." His eyes flickered to Sasuke then.

I looked over to see his reaction, and he merely nodded, expression turning hard.

"You should lighten up a bit, Sasuke-kun… We are in the presence of a lady, after all." I didn't like the way he said that; his tone is always so empty. The words could be right, if there was another face to them…

"He's right Sasuke-kun, you should behave yourself when a lady is in your company. Especially one so fine as her," Kabuto's eyes wandered over to me. "Don't you think so?" I glanced at Sasuke, to take my eyes away from him.

He shrugged, looking up to me, as if he were examining me for the first time. "She isn't unpleasant," he admitted, and I could sense a bit of sarcasm mixed in with it.

I heard Orochimaru laugh again, this time it was probably at the face I'd just made at Sasuke. I continued to glower at Sasuke; there really wasn't much else to do.

As little as what I knew I was expecting to come from him, I couldn't help but feel slightly offended. I knew I was more than "not unpleasant"- at least to him. My lower lip pouted a little as I stared at the table, trying to keep my face from heating up.

But maybe that's really all I was to him now? It'd been such a long time. I used to be more than that to him, but now, I could only guess at his thoughts. And once I had the idea in my head that maybe he could care less about our past, I couldn't get it out.

It was lucky for me that when I let out a small sob, the doors had opened- loud enough to cover my noise- with the men who had our dinner. "Finally," Sasuke muttered.

They came separately and I was surprised at how many men Orochimaru had employed to be kitchen staff. Or maybe some of his men just happened to know how to cook. And serve, too- they were all very formal as our plates were set down in front of us.

Though I was extremely hungry by now, I wasn't about to start eating before the others. So I waited until Orochimaru had taken his first bite, and his second. The others were eating too, so I hesitantly picked at the food, wondering what I should eat first.

I was surprised at how much there was, and how many foods there were to choose from, but I settled on one- and then another, and another, until it was all gone. I reveled in silence at how delicious it was, wondering how I managed to have it all, and how I wanted seconds.

When I looked up, I saw Sasuke smirking at me from across the table. His plate empty as well. Suddenly Orochimaru chuckled from his seat, and I turned my attention to him.

"I'm glad to see you enjoyed it, Hinata-chan." He smiled.

Automatically, I gave him a confused look, and he motioned towards my plate. "Once you started eating, you didn't slow down… You nearly had me worried, Hinata-chan." My face went dark as my eyes widened- I looked down to hide my face. Was it that bad? Did I enjoy the food too much?

At my reaction, he let out a loud, thunderous laugh. My face burned hotter, which I wasn't sure was possible, considering how red I was to begin with. I heard Sasuke shift in his seat, and when I dared to peek at him I saw that he was glaring at his master. Suddenly he pushed his chair back and left in a huff. Orochimaru was still calming down from his laugh and didn't really seem to care or notice.

I followed him with my eyes until he left the room, leaving my sight on the now-closed door. The snake man chuckled a bit more and smirked widely. "He'll be fine."

I wanted to follow him out the door. Being alone with Orochimaru and Kabuto was beyond creeping me out. I just wanted for this dinner to be over.

"U-um… E-excuse me," I stuttered, hoping it would be acceptable to leave as I hugged my arms tightly to my chest. I slid my chair back lightly and watched Orochimaru from the corner of my eye, careful of any objections he could have.

His smile was like death, and he motioned for Kabuto, saying that he would take me to my room.

The silence as Kabuto led me back toward Sasuke's room was awkward, but I preferred that to an awkward conversation that neither of us wanted to have. He left me outside of the door with a slight bow of his head and then he went back the way we came without a single word. When I let myself inside, Sasuke was lying on his bed with a pillow over his face. I tried not to giggle, but I couldn't help it.

His hand rose to pick it up enough to look at me, and his face was slightly annoyed. "Something funny?"

I nodded, "You used to do that when we were younger…" I trail off, thinking maybe I shouldn't have brought the past up.

He smirked a bit as he took the pillow from his face, sitting up on the bed. "You know what I also used to do, though…" As he stood, he got close to me and looked down, leaning an arm against the door behind me.

"S-Sasuke…I…" I felt my face flush as I looked up at him, entirely tempted to wrap my arms around his neck and pull him to me.

His smirked widened the darker my face became, leaning in closer and closer, until…

My lips were touching his as I felt a hand on my waist, pulling me into him. I couldn't believe what he was doing… I couldn't believe I wasn't stopping him. I couldn't believe I was kissing him back.

I began to bring my arms up to his shoulders as I pressed my lips back against his, giving in for a moment. I wanted to keep kissing him, keep him close, but something was screaming at me inside to stop.

This was wrong. I couldn't stay here; I had to go home. I had to escape, and he would never come with me.

When I stopped responding to him Sasuke halted and slowly pulled away to look me in the eyes, "What is it?"

My face heated, but not with a blush. I pulled my hand back and slapped him as hard as I could, feeling tears overrun my eyes as he balanced himself.

Sasuke gritted his teeth as he held a hand to his face. He mumbled something like, "Guess I deserved that one…" As he watched me trying pitifully to dry my tears, "Hinata…don't cry…"

"I-I'm not c-crying!" I watched the ground and tried to slap him again, but without force. My hand slid down his face and he held it at the shoulder. "I-I'm not…c-crying…" I repeated quietly, sobbing just the same.

* * *

I motioned for the others to stop as I crouched down and scanned the building I'd detected in front of us. Finally we were getting somewhere.

"What is it?" Naruto came up, not bothering to be quiet, as usual. I glared back at him.

"They're here," I whispered, motioning towards the complex.

Kiba came up behind us, grinning widely. "Does that mean we're going in after her?'

I shook my head, "We need to rest, and rescue her tomorrow. Let's set up camp a bit further back…"

"We should go in now!" Naruto yelled.

"You idiot!" I snapped at him, turning on my heel to face him, "What good are we going to do if we go in, un-rested and unprepared? You'll get us killed and no one will be able to help Hinata." It seemed to shut him up well enough.

He watched the ground with a solemn look on his face. He stood up and turned around. "You're right," he whispered. "Let's set up camp." I think he was pouting.

Clenching my fist, I followed the path we took back to a small clearing. I knew how he was feeling. I wanted to jump right in and save her, too. But that just wasn't the logical thing to do right now.

It would be best for everyone if we just made sure we were full of energy to fight them off tomorrow. Or so I told myself. The longer I knew that she was in there, the less I wanted to abide by logic and let myself go, as Naruto does.

I shook my head as I finished setting up my tent. I knew this was the best plan. In a few hours, she'd be safe again and we could go home. Naruto continued to pout, and I wished he would stop, because it was making it harder to keep my resolve.

Letting out a heavy sigh, I took a deep breath.

Instantly, I started coughing and choking, an awful smell nearby. "Kiba!" I called out angrily.

"Sorry!" He called back. "It's a habit!" Akamaru also barked in defense of his owner.

"House-train or something!" I yelled at him. "It's absolutely revolting!"

"Quit being a princess, Neji!" Naruto calls out with a laugh, and though I'm relieved to see he's no longer moping, I wanted to kill him for that comment.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Sorry for the long wait! We're trying to finish this story quickly, so hopefully, you will get the epic conclusion within the month. Got some extra length to this chapter, too.

I hope you guys liked it!


	9. The Rescue

The early morning ground was cool beneath my fingers, as I plucked absent mindedly at the grass while listening to Neji. He was giving one of his genius strategy lectures that I just couldn't pay attention to. My mind kept flicking back to Hinata, hoping she was alright, wanting to just go and get her out now. I didn't understand all this planning, especially when it was mostly up to chance any how.

"Naruto! Are you even listening to me?" Neji ground out, snapping me back to attention for a moment.

My head jerked toward his direction, and I shot a hand up to attend to my whiplash. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. Sneak in, search the hideout…" Blah blah blah.

The look he gave me was much more than disbelieving, but he sighed and waved it off. "Just don't screw this up. It could be our only chance to get Hinata home safely."

That, I heard, loud and clear.

I just nodded and tried to listen more, but he kept using all these weird terms. I saw a bird fly over us and started watching it- it was a big bird, and it looked really cool just flying around in the sky…

It reminded me suddenly of the hawks used in Konoha to send messages between shinobi in the village. I watched it for a moment more before trying to listen to Neji again.

"Are we all clear on the plan, then?" he asked, looking between Kiba and I. _Crap_. I just nodded, trying to remember what he was babbling about earlier. Search the hideout… It was probably huge underneath, so he probably wants us to split up.

Yeah. I'm sure that's what he said. What else would we do?

He gave the two of us one final nod, before turning around without making a single sound. Kiba and I followed at his heels, inching closer and closer to the door of the complex.

There weren't any guards outside, so we headed in slowly, looking everywhere. Neji looked back at me with a questioning look and I nodded to let him know I knew the plan. The two of them walked off together as I headed in the other direction.

* * *

After making sure that Naruto was still with us, I turned back. Activating my Byakugan, I scanned the building, picking out several different chakra signatures. Hinata's, which was near the center of the underground maze, and Sasuke's, which was to the right and behind us were the only familiar ones I found.

We followed Hinata's signature through the maze-like building, and came up to a corner, hearing some voices getting closer. I didn't want to fight anyone if I didn't have to- there were a lot of weird but strong signatures all over the place, and I wasn't sure which one was Orochimaru's. I didn't necessarily want to find out, either.

I led us around the corner, and down a side hallway, leading closer to Hinata, and farther from the voices behind us. Suddenly having a strange feeling, I glanced back over my shoulder, to check that my team was still with me. I felt my eye twitch.

Naruto, was of course, missing.

Shaking my head in disgust, I turned to Kiba. "Naruto's gone," I told him, trying to stay calm.

Kiba glanced behind him, with Akamaru mimicking the movement to verify what I'd just told him. His sigh floated back to me. "Should we go back? Try to find him?"

"No," I said, looking for his signature. "He's turning at all the wrong areas… It'll be a while before he goes anywhere important. Let's worry about Hinata for now." That idiot would probably get to five dead-ends by the time we rescue her. What was he thinking?

Obviously he hadn't heard a single thing I said about staying together being our best bet. Shaking off the thoughts of him, I refocused on the mission ahead of us. We had to get Hinata back, safe and sound. I motioned for Kiba to continue following me through the hallways.

"How much further?" he asked in a whisper, looking around.

I could see her getting closer and closer, noting that there were a few guards nearby- not by the door, but nearby. We would probably have to take care of them… "Not much longer."

I stopped just on the other side of the corner. One of the men I'd sensed was walking toward us. Kiba starting to open his mouth to speak, but I shushed him.

He nodded and put a hand on Akamaru's head to keep him still. I motioned to him and the direction of the incoming enemy, deciding that I would get the one further away. He nodded again and got into position.

When the man rounded the corner I didn't wait to see what Kiba did to him. I ran on ahead to get the other one, who wasn't that much farther down the hall. Coming up on him from behind, he didn't seem to know that I was there until it was already too late. One easy gentle fist move, and he was out cold on the floor.

I looked for any other men coming towards us- no one seemed to hear anything, so we were safe. I turned around to see Kiba, with a jumbled being behind him.

Shrugging, I walked up to the door and opened it carefully.

My eyes adjusted to the even dimmer lighting of the room, and finally focused on the small shape turning over on the bed to face me. For the first time, I let myself feel relief.

She peeked her head out from under the covers, and I didn't think I'd ever be so glad to hear, "Hinata!" Kiba jumped at her as her eyes widened, shining even under such lighting.

"K-Kiba-kun! Neji-kun!" She sat up and stared at us, and I could see the mixture of emotions in her eyes.

"Thank god you're safe," I whispered.

Her eyes started watering as she hugged Kiba- who was probably cutting off some sort of circulation- as her face buried into his shoulder. "I-I'm glad y-you came…"

"Of course we'd come." He told her, pushing off of her a bit so that she could actually breathe again. She smiled at him as she wiped the tears from her eyes, before looking over to me. My relief was starting to ebb. We still needed to make it back out of here, and find Naruto in the process.

I coughed into my hand to catch Kiba's attention as well. "We should be hurrying out of here," I told them, turning to the dog-boy now. "And we still need to deal with Naruto."

"What h-happened to Naruto-kun?" Hinata's voice squeaked with worry, as her eyes fixed on me.

"He's fine. He just got lost on our way here." I told her. "I know right where he is, so we can go and find him, whenever you're ready, Hinata."

She nodded and stood up, seeming to trace her collarbone with a few fingers. I examined her, noticing that they had given her new clothes. She didn't have any obvious marks on her, which was good. I wondered for what felt like the millionth time why they would want to take her.

"You're alright?" I asked her as she came over to me, because even though I could see she was, I wanted to hear her say it.

She stopped in front of me and look up to my face, giving a slight nod. "Yes. T-they haven't hurt me."

Kiba grinned at no one in particular and exclaimed, "Of course not! 'Cause then they'd have to deal with me!"

At this, I heard a soft laugh leave her mouth. That small sound gave me all the reassurance I needed. Now we just had to find that idiot and get the heck out of this place.

"Okay." I straightened up a bit, activating my Byakugan again. "If there's anything you need, grab it now and stay close."

She nodded, looked around, and grabbed what I could only assume as the clothes she came in with. "L-let's go…" I nodded and Kiba held onto her wrist, Akamaru trailing behind.

* * *

I stared at the brick wall I'd just literally run into. "Oh! Another dead end! I'm never going to find Hinata in this place!" I yelled to it before slapping my palm over my mouth, remembering that I should be quiet. I spun on my heel, determined to find Hinata before Neji did. Then she could see just how amazing I was!

That jerk probably hit more walls than I did, in fact! I'll save Hinata, and he'll have to respect the future Hokage! They all will! No more rolling eyes, no more mumbling- "Believe it!"

I rounded another corner, and this time there was a door at the end of the hall. "Yes!" I knew for sure that my Hinata was on the other side of the door, waiting for her shining knight to come and rescue her! I ran forward, smiling as I opened the door, only to walk right into a brick wall behind it, calling, "Hinata I'm he—"

"Owowowow!" I hollered in pain, wishing my hands were big enough to hold my whole face. "Stupid Orochimaru with his stupid hideout!" Why couldn't he just have a caves like normal bad guys? He had to have a fancy maze with a stupid door that went nowhere!

I took a moment more to comfort my throbbing nose. "Ok, back to business." I told myself, knowing Hinata still needed rescuing. Turning back, the long hallway opened up in front of me again. I decided to follow it back the way I'd come. Halfway down front the last dead end, I looked over my shoulder, not really sure any more if this was the actual way I'd come. "Oh no…" It all looked the same.

Cursing both inwardly and outwardly, I decided to take what looked like where I came from. Turning into another spot, I found a dead end and went the other way. Another dead end. "Does this place change walls or something?"

As I came to another dead end, I kicked the wall, hearing a crunch noise. "Oww!" I held onto my foot and hopped around on the other one. Did I break my toes? Crap, I think I did! At least Hinata couldn't see me right now.

"Damn it!" I shouted at the wall, before flopping down on my butt. Taking in the barely lit halls all around me, I knew I was totally lost. How was I supposed to find Hinata, if I couldn't even find myself in this maze? Why did Neji want us to split up? It would have been much smarter to stick together. That's what they always tell us to do. I pouted, as I continued to squeeze my aching toes.

I'll give him an ear full after I rescue Hinata. He's an awful strategist- splitting up… And he calls me stupid!

* * *

My skin crawled as I stood in front of Orochimaru, mind drifting between why I was here and getting back to Hinata. The Snake's eyes focused on me finally, and I knew it was time we got down to business.

"So, I think it's finally time," he began slowly. "To tell you why the Hyuuga girl is here…"

I held back a sigh, trying to keep my face blank as I waited for it. I didn't know what to expect, which made me nervous about reacting.

He leaned forward in his throne, eyeing me closely. "It's her eyes…they're so lovely." He smiled. "I want to make them mine."

My own eyes widened a fraction, but I tried to keep the rest of my face the same. "How?" I asked, nearly stuttering as I cleared my throat. What would he do to her?

His smile grew, seemingly from my reaction. Orochimaru relaxed, sitting back in his chair. "I'll have to figure out just exactly how those pretty little things work, first." He said. "I'll figure the rest out from there."

"I see." It was more of a whisper than a response- my mind was racing. I'd seen humane versions of his exploring…and I'd seen the not-so-humane versions. I didn't know which one he was planning, but either one would not be very pleasant…

His eyes lidded as he watched me, slithering out more, "As the heiress, however, she has the purest Byakugan in Konoha… So I may have to fetch a few more." He made it sound so simple- like we'd just have to go to the store and buy another melon. But add another Hyuuga to the cart. "We wouldn't want to damage our perfect sample, would we, Sasuke-kun?"

"No, sir." I fought to keep my tone steady. Just agree with whatever he said when necessary, and nod when appropriate. My mind was working to try to figure something out. I wondered if I'd be able to help Hinata escape, if it came down to it.

But hopefully, it wouldn't come down to that. "You may go," he finished, smirking at me like there was some kind of untold joke.

I bowed my head lightly and turned around to open the door.

My mind was still working out all the possibilities as I reached for the doorknob. For now I'd just have to settle for going back to her now. Orochimaru wasn't going to do anything with her tonight; I had time to figure things out.

The door opened, protesting with a loud groan as it often did. "Oh, and Sasuke…" he said from behind me.

I turned back to him, half-through the door. "Give little Hinata-chan my regards."

I hesitated maybe a moment too long before nodding and replying, "Sir," before I shut the door behind me.

A shiver went down my spine as I paused outside the door for a moment, trying to regain my calm. Breathing deeply, I let out a quiet sigh and continued on my way.

For whatever reason, whether it was because I was still trying to regain some type of composure, or that I just felt like it, I took the long way back to my room. As I passed each branching hallway, I realized how many useless dead ends there really were. It had taken me a long while to learn the pathways in this place.

Sure, it was a good strategy when enemies came through and got lost, but when your men can't remember what direction to go, things tend to be rather slow when getting things done. We've had idiots running around for days before anyone finds them- they'd turn around a few times and forget which way was which.

I wondered if Orochimaru found it amusing, and did it on purpose. It wasn't something I would put past him. Just ahead of me, I heard someone run into a wall. A sigh escaped me. It would be just my luck to come across some lost idiot, wouldn't it?

Letting out another sigh, I kept walking and closed my eyes. "Hey, stupid, the rooms are that way…" I pointed behind me and opened my eyes when I didn't hear a response.

I almost shook my head, not believing my eyes. I realized it would be an idiot I was dealing with, I just didn't think it would be The Idiot.

"You!" we both yelled at each other.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked him, taking a step back defensively.

"I could ask you the same thing!" He yelled at me, then paused, as the obvious answer dawned on him.

Smacking him upside the head, I yelled back, "I live here, stupid!"

He crumpled in on himself, bringing both his hands to his head. "Ow!" He yelled, and it made me feel like hitting him again.

"What'd you hit me for, you jerk?" He sounded like a shrieking child- looked like one, too.

"Why do you think, you idiot?" I smirked, still thinking about smacking him again. If he didn't quit his whining, I would.

He stood up straighter, hand over where I hit him. "Because you're stupid!"

I raised my arm up, loving the way he shrank away from me and crossed his arms over his head. It wasn't stopping me though. The second contact was just as sweet as the first.

Hitting him harder this time, he slid back, letting out another annoying yell. He shook his arms and rubbed the impact points, seething loudly. He muttered something about snakes and being obsessive and some other gibberish I couldn't understand.

While he was wriggling on the ground and complaining, I wondered if he'd been stupid enough to come alone, or if he was too dumb to stay with his team in this place. My guess would be the latter, in his case.

I doubted Tsunade would let him come alone. My jaw locked in place as I finally considered it- he was here for Hinata. To take her home.

I was not fond of that idea. However, if they took her with them now, she'd be safe and I could stop worrying about what I could do to help her.

Something inside me didn't want to give her up, let alone to this idiot. If he was stupid enough to leave his team, how could he protect her? He couldn't, but I knew that I could. I wasn't about to give her up now- once was bad enough.

Naruto suddenly jumped to his feet, and started waving his finger at me, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Where's Hinata? I'm here to take her home and you're not going to get in my way Sasuke!" That's about when I tuned out, and yet, his lips continued flapping.

He was such an idiot… He would never mature- he'd be the one yelling at a deaf man for not listening to him rant about becoming Hokage one day.

"Could you…shut up?" I said, poking a finger into my ear to try and keep out some of the noise he was making. It was really starting to give me a headache.

That made him lose it. He started yelling even louder, and my head started pounding. I was going to shove his head into a wall if he didn't shut up soon- I really was. But then a shadow was cast on part of a wall behind him, and I wasn't sure who to expect…

"N-Naruto-kun…" I heard Hinata's soft voice trail over his obnoxious ranting. Thankfully it shut him up, as she stepped in between us, uncertainty playing across her face.

I was sure our expressions looked similar, if not the same. Our eyes were wide, and he let out a gasp, relief shining in his eyes. His mouth turned into an open smile as he wrapped his arms around her, nearly knocking her over. "Hinata!"

If I'd thought the urge to hit him earlier was bad, it was now a blazing inferno. I was going to pull her out if his arms, just as she pushed herself away, probably so that he wasn't crushing her to death.

* * *

I could hear Naruto's yelling as I ran further ahead of Kiba and Neji- they didn't say anything, so I kept going. He paused and became even louder as I rounded the corner. He wasn't just yelling at nothing; he was yelling at Sasuke. Hurriedly, I ran between them.

Naruto shouted my name, and although his hug was endearing, it was also crushing me to the point that I couldn't take in another breath if I'd wanted to. I gave him a gentle push, trying to get him off of me enough so that I could actually see his face- not to mention breathe.

I looked up at him and saw confusion in his face, a guilty smile lighting my face.

"You were squishing me." I told him.

His hand went to the back of his head as he laughed. "Sorry about that- it's just…I'm so glad you're alright."

I nodded, smiling wider. "I'm really glad you're here now…" And with that, I heard someone clearing their throat behind me.

Turning around, I glanced at Sasuke, and felt my face flush. I'd sort of forgotten about him for a second, when Naruto had his arms around me.

He had a cold expression, aimed at Naruto. "You're not taking her," he whispered, barely audible. The pain in his eyes was very clear as he watched the two of us. I felt much more guilty than I should have, taking a small step toward him.

Was it wrong that I wanted to comfort him?

I watched him glance over me, his eyes quickly jumping back to Naruto as he shot his arm out to grab me. His hand was gentle around my arm, as he pulled me behind him, but it still caught me off guard. "S-Sasuke-kun!"

"Hey!" Naruto yelled in protest as I was ripped away. I swear I could have heard a growl coming from him. Sasuke's hand stayed around me, feeling more like a comfort for him, rather than to keep me where I was.

When Naruto took a fighting stance against Sasuke, I was suddenly reminded of my dreams. I closed my eyes, shaking away that thought. They were only arguing, it'd blow over.

Instinctively, I held onto Sasuke's shirt, as if it would hold him back. His hand relaxed slightly, but he moved into a lazy stance- I doubted that he would take Naruto seriously, but I did, and I didn't want this to escalate anymore than it already had.

Naruto opened his mouth, and started shouting, "Don't ever put a hand on her! How dare you grab Hinata like that?" He continued on to start insulting Sasuke, which probably was a terrible idea on Naruto's part.

Sasuke started tensing again as his stance began to grow more defined, defensive. If I didn't do something, they really would end up jumping at each other…

Before either of them could move, but were certainly about to, I raised my hand far above my head, and brought it down hard. I closed my eyes in the descent, waiting for the impact of my fist against Sasuke's head.

I moved enough chakra into my hand to knock him out and not hurt my hand, feeling his skull under the meat of my hand. But something odd happened…

There were two thumps.

I looked across to where Naruto had been standing, seeing now he was on the floor, in a similar fashion as Sasuke was. My eyes roamed back up, meeting Neji's. There was an odd, long, awkward pause between us.

Then my cousin simply said, "I couldn't listen to him a moment more."

Nodding, I asked, "W-what should we do with t-them?"

I could hear footsteps coming toward us, fast, and I was worried, looking at the two boys on the floor. But Kiba rounded the corner and froze the moment he saw them. "What did you guys do?" he asked loudly, eyes wide open while Akamaru sniffed the bodies.

"Neutralized the problem." Neji said, matter-of-factly, but I heard the grin in his tone. Then he pointed to Naruto, "Carry him back with us, would you?" He asked Kiba.

My eyes traveled to Sasuke, then, wondering what was to become of him. "We need to leave him, Hinata," Neji told me, coming to my side. "He doesn't want to go back, and we can't make him."

I wished I could ignore the truth in what Neji said, but he was right, and I knew it too. What was the point of bringing him back, if he didn't want to be there? I nodded slowly.

His hand led me to where they had come, but it was hard to look away. I could feel my eyes well up as we eventually got outside.

I wiped away stray tears, trying to hide them from Kiba and Neji. I hadn't realized I still had so many feelings toward Sasuke.

But that had to end, here and now. He chose that way, and if he wanted me…he knew where to find me. Though I think after I got home, some security could be useful.

"Hiashi-sama has been worried about you." Neji's voice broke into my thoughts. I was glad for the small escape from the inside of my head.

As he mentioned my father, I thought of my friends, and family- I didn't realize how much I'd missed everyone. I made a quiet noise of acknowledgement, watching my feet. I wasn't sure what to say now, other than, "T-thank you…"

Neji gave me a soft smile, "I'm glad you're safe." We walked on in silence for some time after that. It felt good to just have him and Kiba close.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Here's another chapter for you, almost as long as the last one. Sorry I didn't post the eighth one sooner, guys.

Who's excited?

Don't forget to review if you liked it! We love hearing from you. Have a great night!


	10. Letting Go

Once we got to Konoha, I took in everything around me, seeing it in a new light. I was so happy to be home, to be in the sun again… It all felt so new to me- I didn't think I would ever miss home this much.

Our small group walkd down the center street of the town , and when people saw me with them, their faces seemed to light up as they smiled and waved. I wondered what my father's reaction would be, when he saw me. Would it be as welcoming?

My eyes wandered the streets as we walked through them. Neji cleared his throat, catching my attention.

"They'll want to look over you first," he told me. "To make sure they didn't do anything…odd, to you."

I nod, and follow him as he leads us toward the hospital. Kiba drags Naruto with him to make the report at Hokage Tower.

It was a simple examination. They broke whatever had kept me from using my Byakugan, which was a very big relief. Any longer and I might have forgotten about it.

They were actually surprised at how well I'd been treated. But even still they went through a full exam, and after that told me to wait, because the Hokage was on her way to see me.

I sat on the examination table for a little while and stared at the floor as I waited. She didn't take long, though, and Shizune followed quickly behind her.

"Hinata, I'm glad to see you safe." She smiled at me. "How're you feeling?"

I nod and smile and tell her I'm fine. She just nods at this.

The nurse patted my arm before walking out of the room. For a brief moment, I was alone. It was the first time I'd had any time to myself since arriving back in the village. Glancing around the room, I was shocked by the brightness of the white walls, which were in such contrast to the gloom of Orochimaru's complex.

It was a welcome contrast, however. I was sure to go blind in such a place- how could they live there, and still be so strong? Though with how much Orochimaru had seemed like a snake, I suppose it was fitting that he lived under a place so much like a rock.

The door squeaked open, breaking my peace and quiet, and Tsunade-sama walked into my room. When she saw me, her face seemed to light up quite a bit, as did mine. I could feel the heat rising in my cheeks.

She came in fast and wrapped her arms around me tightly, turning around and round. "Oh, Hinata! I'm so glad you're back! I can't believe how much I missed that red little face of yours!"

Of course, her saying that only made my face burn even brighter. "T-Tsunade-sama!" I heard my voice squeak, as she finally set me down, and the world stopped spinning.

As she pulled back, she had a grin so wide, it rivaled Naruto's. "Welcome home!"

"T-thank you," I mumbled, as she continued to gaze at me, seemingly looking me over.

She walked around me slowly and said, "No abmornal growths, eh? How boring." Chuckling quietly, she continued, "You look good, kiddo! Anything weird recently?"

By weird, I wondered if she meant besides being kidnapped by a former love interest. I shook my head, "N-no."

Again, she mumbled, "How boring."

Quite frankly, I don't think I could've taken something that wasn't boring. I felt so stretched out and overrun... I just wanted to wake up and hear that none of this had ever happened.

"If you do feel anything…" She paused and met my eyes, " Strange," She said, "Tell us right away, Hinata. We mustn't take any chances with this."

I just nodded at her and smiled. "Y-yes, ma'am."

"You can go now," she waved at the door dismissively. I bowed my head before leaving the room, glad to be on my way.

Once I was outside the hospital, my relief at being able to go home turned bitter. I'd soon have to face my father. That was not something I was looking forward to.

What would he say? What would he do? Would I be welcomed home? My hands gripped at the end of my sleeves as I shook my head. I was sure Hanabi would have missed me...

Neji was waiting for me at the gate, but it did little to ease my doubts. Aware of everything, as always, he sensed my reluctance to go home.

"It will be alright, Hinata." He told me softly.

I smiled faintly at him and we walked together in silence as my anxiety increased the closer we came to the mansion. I think I ran every possible scenario that could happen through my head, except the one that actually took place.

We came to the front of the mansion, where my father and Hanabi were waiting for us. I saw a glint in her eye as she smiled, happy to see me home. She waited where she stood, though, looking from me to him.

I stopped in front of my father, and gave him a low bow, before meeting his eyes. "Father," I managed to say without stuttering.

His eyes traveled along me, until he finally met my eyes. His mouth remained a thin line as he said, "Your sister has missed you."

Smiling lightly, I nodded at him and walked up to Hanabi, who hugged me tightly, just as Tsunade had. This was more bearable, considering the difference in strength.

As my sister looked up at me, I could see the questions in her eyes. She kept an arm around me as father motioned for us to go inside. She left me in my room, but Neji stayed with me. He stayed quiet as I looked around- it was as if I never left.

Everything was as I had left it, right in its place. I sat on my bed, mind wondering briefly to the violet pressed in the cover of my diary, but I shook it off. My room was the exact opposite of what Sasuke's was like. It unnerved me to realize I was growing used to being in that dank, dungeon of a room.

"Do you," Neji paused, clearing his throat before going on. "Is there anything you need?"

I shook my head. "I-I'll be okay…" I just needed to be alone right now- let everything sink in. I was home now, and that was where I was going to stay.

He nodded and turned away, closing the door behind him. I opened the drawer I kept my old diary in and looked at the little flower- the symbol of my Sasuke… The symbol of everything he'd done for me…and to me.

There was no putting into words how much I wished, and hoped, that he'd come back to me, even now, it was impossible to say I had stopped hoping. Yet, it was obvious that my Sasuke, the one I'd fallen in love with, was gone, and this new one could never share those old feelings with me again.

Even if he could have- or did- he was just too much bad news. As long as Orochimaru was in control of him, there was no way of trusting him.

Looking down at that flat, wilted violet, I felt my eyes begin to water as I shed my final tears for Sasuke Uchiha.

Taking it gently in my fingers, praying that it wouldn't crumble, I made my way over to the window. Throwing it open, the late after noon breeze breathed into my room, and the glow of the sunset fell on my face. Drying my tears, I stuck my hand out, and let go of the flower, watching it fall for only a moment.

Maybe it was dumb to be so emotional, but it was all symbolic. It was time to move on; Naruto couldn't wait forever. It wouldn't be fair to anyone.

I cleaned up the small mess I'd left behind, thinking of what to do next.

I sat back down on the bed, suddenly feeling the exhaustion of the past days, figuring all that other stuff could wait until tomorrow, knowing that I would go see Naruto tomorrow, planning on telling my father about us—probably with Neji's guidance—planning for my future, could wait one more night.

Lying back, I stared at the ceiling until the weight of my eyelids overwhelmed me.

* * *

From the minute they took her away from me again, I felt like a trapped rat. It was only a matter of time until I left, to search her out just one more time.

At first, I'd said I was only going for a quick walk, for fresh air. However, it wasn't long until I found myself headed back toward Konoha, toward my former home.

I had to see her again. She wouldn't even know I was there. My feet weren't fast enough. Would they even know I left?

It didn't matter if they did. So I kept on going until I was standing just outside her window, the only light coming from the fingernail moon.

I looked around to make sure no one was around, noting a small flower on the ground. I picked it up softly, remembering a long time ago, when I gave a flower to Hinata… It was wilted and flat- did she save it?

She was certainly the type to do just that. Thinking back to that time, I remembered plucking the cute little purple flower from the ground and later handing it to her. I was positive that the faded, withered, little thing in my fingers was that same one.

But why was it here? Certainly, if she was saving it, she wouldn't be so careless…

Then it hit me. If she saved it this whole time, it meant something to her. Maybe it was a message- I didn't mean anything to her anymore. She made her choice.

I glared down at the flower, feeling rage bubbling to the surface. But, really I couldn't be mad; it was my own fault in the end. Who could blame her for choosing Naruto over me at this point? Before I realized what I was doing, I'd crushed the tiny flower in my hand.

Releasing it, I watched it float to the ground, some pieces faster than others. I brushed the petal crumbs off of my hand and peeked into her room. If it wasn't for her light snoring, I wouldn't be able to tell if she was asleep or not, with the way she was laying.

I watched for a little while, as she slept. She'd be happy with him, I supposed. That didn't mean it made me feel any better about it. I had to keep pushing thoughts of how to win her back away. I wanted her to be happy. That didn't involve me, anymore.

Even if I did take her back… I'm sure she would be even more angry the second time.

It would just be best to try and let her go. Whether or not that was possible was yet to be seen, but I had to leave Konoha. I could sense someone walking around the building, it wouldn't be long until they walked past here.

Looking between her and the now crumpled flower, I took off again, headed to another part of town. There was only one thing left to do now…

Landing quietly, I walked down the familiar hall to the last door, and stood, staring at it for a moment while I contemplated what I'd do next.

The door was unlocked- he probably assumed he could beat anyone that walked through the door, that idiot- and I walked on in, looking around. It smelled of ramen and…something I didn't want to know about, I imagine.

I walked right up to him, asleep, with one leg hanging off the bed, as usual. It would be easy to kill him. The thought skipped through my head, but I pushed it away. That wasn't what I was here for.

Maybe just stuff a sock in his mouth… No, he'd wake up. As I walked over to the small kitchen, I reconsidered it, though- there was no way he had neighbors with the way he was snoring. My eye twitched and I hurriedly found a notepad, jotting down a small note for him.

I tore off the page, not even bothering with staying quite, and then went back over to his bed. It was tempting to tape it to his head, but with a quick glance around, I figured I wouldn't be able to find any tape. So I settled for leaving it on the table, where he'd most likely see it. Hopefully.

He'd see it eventually. Especially if he used the table for ramen- heck, he'd probably wake up five minutes later with a craving.

Looking around, I wondered if she'd seen this place yet. If so, it obviously wasn't his grooming habits that made him more preferable. As I left, I wondered what it could have been. Did she think he was more handsome than me? His stupid grinning face flashed through my mind.

Of course not.

No, it wasn't that. As I closed the door behind me—locking it—I was sure I had a good picture as to why it was him, not me.

* * *

The sun shone through a crack in my door as I woke up slowly, stretching lazily. A yawn escaped me as I took in my bedroom for the first time in what felt like a lifetime.

Everything felt refreshed. It was a new day, and I was home safe. I was ready to move on with my life, and it felt good to be so firmly decided for once.

As I stood up, I realized that my clothes from last night were still on. I changed quickly and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. Would Naruto be up this early? Maybe I could find something to waste time before seeing him…

I figured I'd eat breakfast first, and then go see if he was awake. Hanabi greeted me in the kitchen. She was just finishing her meal, and already heading out. She waved goodbye, and left me on my own.

There was plenty of food to choose from. I picked something and ate it as fast as I could without giving myself hiccups. Being so far from him for so long, I wanted to spend all the time I could with Naruto. I missed him so much…

I was just rinsing my dishes when my father came in, he stopped and looked me over, before looking around for his own food.

"G-good morning," I greeted quietly, turning to bow. He nodded in acknowledgement and turned his attention to the food he'd found. "I-I'll be leaving t-today," I told him, my eyes on the table.

"Oh? Where are you going?" His voice was stern, but he didn't look at me.

I hesitated, maybe a moment too long, because then he did let his eyes drift toward me, "U-um, I'll b-be going to s-see Naruto."

He didn't act surprised, but his features tightened and his jaw locked. "I see." His actions implied he wasn't going to say anymore; that was more than I expected, alone…

"I-I'll be leaving, then…" I tried to make sure he heard me, but he said nothing. I bowed and turned to leave.

I was almost out of the room, when I heard him say my name, and I stopped and turned back to him, "Y-yes Father?" Now I was worried he'd say I wasn't allowed to see Naruto, or something to that affect.

"I don't like that boy."

"Father I-I…" I had no idea what to say, but I sensed there was more coming, so I knew enough to be quiet and listen before I protested any further.

"I don't like him, but…I will," he paused and looked at me, giving me a slight nod, "I will give him a chance."

My face heated up in surprise and embarrassment. "F-father…" I should have figured that he would know. He wasn't an idiot…of course he could put the pieces together.

"Go on now," He waved me off, "So I can have my breakfast in peace."

I nodded as I bowed, leaving the room before he changed his mind. He added a little pep to my walk as I headed over to Naruto's apartment.

I followed the road to his house, enjoying the morning sun as it rose. Several people who had heard I'd been returned home safely stopped me, they were very kind and polite, but I tried to deal with them quickly so I could get to Naruto's faster.

When I did arrive, his door was locked, which I knew to be odd. I wondered if maybe he was on guard because of what had happened. Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and knocked.

* * *

The sun was too bright, and there was a loud, annoying noise coming from somewhere in the room… Oh, right- that was my alarm.

I reached over myself to turn it off and covered my eyes with my free arm. It was blinding outside. The sooner I turned off my alarm, the sooner I could get back to sleep.

Then I remembered that Hinata was home—safe—and I should go to see her. I pulled myself out of the tangle of covers, standing up on a pile of undetermined items, kicking some of it to the side before I could fall over on them all.

The floor greeted me for a moment before I sat up, sighing. I had to scoot out of the mess before it let me free.

Shoving away as much as I could; pushing it into even larger mountains than before, I made a clean enough space to stand safely, and managed to stagger to my feet. I slammed a hand down onto my alarm to stop its whining.

With another exaggerated sigh, I went over to the kitchen to get a drink. I grabbed a glass, the milk, and went over to the small table near the corner.

I had just poured my glass full to the rim, ready to take a sip, when I was startled by the scream of my alarm clock, spilling the glass all over. I cursed, knowing I'd hit the snooze button, instead of turning it off.

Openly cursing, I tried to wipe the milk off my pants as I stood up and went over to my bedside table, finding the off switch. I glared at it for a minute, wiping the milk off my pants as I noticed a small piece of paper by the alarm.

I grabbed it up, glaring at it until the letters became clear to my sleepy eyes. I knew instantly that he'd written it.

_Idiot,_

_Take care of her, and don't screw up._

Sasuke. He came here.

My hand clenched around the paper. He wouldn't have left the note if he took her, would he? No, of course not. Why did he come here? Why would he bother? I took better care of her than he ever did…

I shook my head, finally starting to get why he'd come. He realized that too. He was leaving her to me.

A knock on the door shook me out of my thoughts. I threw the note away and went to answer the door.

Finding it locked bothered me for a moment as Sasuke must have done it. I undid the latch and pulled the door open to see her standing there, smiling and blushing as usual.

"G-good morning," she stuttered as I smiled back at her. She looked down a little, and her face got even darker as she turned around. "N-Naruto!"

"What?" I looked down and slammed the door shut, running around my room for a shirt.

When I made it back to the door, her face was still red, but I was fully clothed and ready to move on from that. "So, um, wanna get some ramen?" I asked with a grin as I closed the door behind me, not forgetting about the note I'd left buried in there some where.

She just nodded at me. Her face wasn't getting much lighter.

We walked over to Ichiraku and I bought us both some ramen. Of course I finished first- she always took her time. While I waited for her, I thought about the note.

"You know," I started out loud, without thinking. She glanced up at me then turned her full attention my way.

"Y-yes?" she said, trying to get me to continue.

I cleared my throat and looked into her eyes. "I'll always be here, Hinata…"

She reached over and gave my hand a tight squeeze. "I know. Thank you, Naruto." Hinata smiled at me.

I squeezed her hand and smiled back. _Always…

* * *

_

**Author's Note:**

Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Up next is the last chapter!


	11. Forever Mine

"I said 'Always' and I meant it." I smile at her. She's absolutely the most beautiful thing I've ever laid eyes on. The Kimono she wears is a deep violet that matches her eyes, and seems to help light up her smile even more.

She's holding a bouquet of flowers, but I can't be bothered to look at them. My eyes are glued to her face- her wonderful face. Her hair is pulled back and her bangs hang over her eyes. I try to keep this picture in my mind while I try to keep my face from going numb. I can't stop smiling.

I can hardly stand still as we exchange vows and go through all the annoying parts of being married. Her dad's eyes are boring into the back of my skull, but right now it's only a minor thought in my head. I just want to kiss her already.

It's hard enough keeping my eyes toward the priest. Even now, I steal glances back at her.

"Please exchange the rings," he says and gestures to the boy holding our rings. Finally, we're getting closer. I don't think I've ever been this impatient with anything. Except, maybe, waiting for this day to come.

When he says to kiss the bride, a sigh of relief leaves me even though her cheeks flush bright as I lean in. I wrap my arms around her, and I feel her relax as we kiss, and the people in the audience clap and cheer for us.

I feel rice being thrown and slide my arm behind her back, moving the other underneath her knees as I pick her up. She lets out a small noise of surprise and I kiss her again. She's finally mine- forever.

* * *

The feeling inside me was a mix of complete rage and happiness. I clutched the branch in front of me tighter as he kissed her. He swept her off her feet, walking back down the aisle. Closing my eyes, I held the image of her smiling face, of her happiness there.

What made me angry was that it was him. I'm glad she's happy… And she's so beautiful today- why wouldn't she be? Every woman should glow on their wedding day.

When I could no longer see them, I knew it was time to leave. I wouldn't come back here to see her again. I had to let go, and let her live her life.

I frowned and jumped away from the church. It was time to get back to the complex.

By now the route back was as familiar to me as holding a sword, I could travel it and barely pay attention to where I was going; be completely lost in thought and still get there.

Naruto…he's perfectly capable of protecting her like she needs. And protecting- a lump was caught in my throat as I thought this- their children, when they had them.

I shake off the thought; I can't deal with the thought of them having kids. I'm not even sure she wants kids, but knowing her, she probably does. I stop myself from going further with the thought.

At the moment, I have to concentrate on what I'm doing. If I don't, I know my mind will wonder…

It's too painful.

* * *

I sit outside, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine as I watch Naruto play with our son. The boy looks more like me, but I'd say he acts just like his father. Naruto chases him around the yard, and they through a ball back and forth. Watching them relaxes me.

My daughter simply sits in my lap with her candy. I run my hand through her pale blonde hair, smiling as I lean in to kiss the top of her head.

"You should go play with Daddy," I told her quietly. "I'll hold the sweets."

She spills the few pieces left into my hand and slides down, she runs over to Naruto, tackling him to the ground with the help of her brother. We all let out a laugh.

He picks them both up under his arms and grins over at me as the children hit his legs, yelling to be let go. "I say we all get ramen. I'm gonna be sore in the morning." I roll my eyes and smile wider at him, anticipating the childrens' reactions.

Of course, as I suspected, when he lets them go, they're jumping for joy, shouting "Ichiraku" over and over.

"Alright, alright," He says, and motions for me to come over to him.

His arm wraps around my waist as he kisses the top of my head. I lean into him and hold my son's hand as we all walk to get some ramen.

* * *

**Authors' Note: **

Gods, it's finished! Yoko and I are _so _glad to have finally finished this story. (For ourselves, and you all.)

She would like to say that it was awesome writing this story, and she's very proud of how it turned out. I'm very proud, too. Hopefully, we'll do another story at some point in the future. While we did a ton of procrastinating, it was still so much fun. And you guys helped that!

I hope everybody enjoyed the story. The next thing you'll see from us is an alternate ending- the suggestion of a wonderful reviewer named Zamoria.

We mostly just wanted this up before the new year, hehe.

Anyway! Happy New Year's, and we hope you enjoyed the story. Thanks for reading, everyone!


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